Certamen of the Bow and the Brush
by Lupin111
Summary: A/U. Justin. Brian. And a ghost. Who's not quite a ghost. Definitely not Casper.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own QAF, the characters…blah blah blah. You know the drill. If I had any right over these characters, the finale would have never have happened.

**A/N:** Once again, a HUGE thank you to **Xrifree **for aiding in untangling this story, and for her helpful insights, ideas and comments. I hope you like it!

**BACKGROUND:** Apparently, I find it difficult to stick to the script, because this is another Alternate Universe story...or perhaps several universes...he he he.

I'm not going to give a background as such because this time, we start at the beginning and move forward...more or less.

I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

William Shakespeare, _"Hamlet", Act 1 scene 5_

* * *

Justin surveyed the mess in front of him. Ok, so maybe 'mess' was the wrong word. What he was looking at wasn't a mess. A mess was a college dorm (not that he had ever been inside one). A mess was what Molly had made when she played with Justin's paint tubes. A mess was day-old dinner left in the kitchen sink.

_This_ was what would result if an old war museum had a child with a storage facility, and then that child decided to throw up.

"Justin, you're never going to finish cleaning this by tomorrow!" Daphne was shaking her head as she handed him a can of Red Bull.

"I don't have much of a choice, do I? So much for odd jobs on Craig's List…I swear that Mrs. Bates is crazy! There must be at least four generations worth of junk here…well, mostly junk."

Justin was glad that Daphne had turned up to help him. He was getting paid good money to clean out a batty old woman's attic, but there was no way he could meet her deadline without help.

"Daph, no, not those. Mrs. Bates said that I could keep those things for myself if I wanted to. So, I'm taking them."

Daphne scrunched up her nose. "Hmmm…an old kerosene lamp, a glass bowl, an ancient camera – that might actually be worth something – a set of foot stools and a table? Have I ever told you that you're crazy? Ugh, and this massive painting? It isn't even finished…and it totally gives me the creeps. "

Justin stuck his tongue out at Daphne. "I happen to like that stuff and they'll fill up my new place. That painting…there's something about it, I don't know…look at it. The fabric feels like canvas, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't. I want to do some painting on it, just to experiment. Look at how weird the colours are…it's so dull and gloomy, but this picture of a man on a bench…it's so bright and sharp like it was just painted yesterday. I wanna try and see if I can get the same effect."

He ran his hand over the fabric as he spoke, and got a fine layer of dust and powder from the fabric on his fingers in the process.

"Oh my god, Justin!" Daphne was looking at him, concerned and horrified at the same time.

"Daph, what is it?" Justin felt it even as he formed the question. He raised his hand from the painting and across his face, just in time to keep the blood from trickling on to his t-shirt. He had a nosebleed. _What the fuck? Again?_

"Justin, are you ok?"

Justin pulled out an already bloody handkerchief and wiped his nose. "I'm fine…it's weird, this is the second time I'm getting a nosebleed since I got here…it's probably nothing though."

It didn't strike Justin to wash his hands, and thus he didn't notice the dust and powder and blood all mixing together, being inhaled and rubbed into his skin.

It took him a while to get cleaned up, and it took him even longer to convince Daphne that he was fine.

"Have you actually managed to find a place?" Daphne eventually asked him. "You know that you can stay with me –"

"I know, I know, and I love you for it. But I need my own place – like it or not. I can't sponge off you forever. Anyway, remember that apartment we looked at on Sunday? Well, the landlord called me back about an hour ago. The place is mine if I want it."

Justin had been living with Daphne for over a month now; as soon as his physiotherapy had reduced, Craig had made it abundantly clear that Justin was _not _welcome. Thank heavens for Daphne.

"Justin, that's not an apartment – it's a closet! Plus, it's a basement. It looks damp, and you'll freeze to death in the winter. I don't understand why you refuse to share with me."

"Because you want to be on campus. And you can't do that if you're going to stay with me. Or rather, if I'm going to stay with you."

Daphne was frowning. "And PIFA? Is your dad still refusing to pay? How are you going to afford an apartment, even if it is a basement closet?"

"I'll be paying the PIFA tuition on my own. And the rent. Well, actually, mom said that she'll pay first and last. She has some savings of her own that she'll dip into. She'd pay the rent too, I'm sure, but I told her that I'll manage somehow. _That _would have been Dad's money, at any rate. PIFA has agreed to let me start in the winter semester, so I have till then to pay the tuition."

"Justin, it's already August. How will you find the money between now and January for the tuition? Plus rent? Here, help me carry this – it goes into recycling, right?"

Justin went to help Daphne. "Weeell, I sort of found a job…one which, if I save properly, will finance my tuition, rent and food. I'll probably have to shop at thrift shops for clothes, but all things considered, I think I can manage."

Daphne's eyebrows reached her hairline. "Justin, you're seventeen years old – no one is going to pay you enough to cover all that!"

"Ha! That's what you think. I've already found someone who's going to pay me."

"Really? Doing what?"

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise that you won't freak out."

"Oh Justin, what did you do _now_?"

"I saw this ad online…there's this gay club called Babylon, and they were looking for dancers…"

Daphne's eyes had narrowed into thin slits. "Dancers?"

"Uh…go go dancers?"

"_Justin! _Is that even legal?_"_

"What? Ok, so it isn't exactly the most respectable job I could do, but it pays so well! I can earn $400 in tips in just one night! And who cares if it's legal...I told them that i was eighteen...I'll be eighteen soon enough, so what's the harm? Come on Daph, there is no other conceivable way that I could possibly think of attending PIFA."

"But Justin…does your mother know? And how did you get the job?" Daphne had already resigned herself to the idea, mainly because she knew deep down that Justin wasn't faced with too many better options to make money.

"This is the part where you can't freak out…I let the manager blow me...and I get the feeling that it won't be a onetime thing. Mom thinks I'm working as a bartender. What she won't know won't hurt her. I wish I could tell Dad though…he'd just die!"

Daphne's face turned green, and she looked as if she wanted to throw up. "You're turning into someone out of _Midnight Cowboy_...how did it come to this?"

"Daph, come on. Lots of people earn college tuition like this…girls pose nude for magazines all the time. This is better than posing nude, right?"

"Not by much."

Justin sighed. "At least I'm just dancing. I'm supposed to start next week. Really, it's not a big deal."

Actually, it was a big deal. To Justin, it was a _huge _deal. He was just seventeen years old, and was about to start living in a hovel and working as a go go dancer to earn a living and finance his education. As far as he was concerned, it was worse than being some from _Midnight Cowboy. _Damn stupid motherfucking Chris Hobbs. And his father. Stupid motherfucking idiots, the both of them. Justin couldn't believe that in just three months, his life had so completely turned upside down. It was degrading and shameful.

Daphne must have seen through his false bravado, because she gently squeezed his shoulder, and Justin smiled weakly at her.

Oh well, if life gave you lemons, you were supposed to make lemonade, right? Justin was determined to come out of this nightmare alive. And if dancing on top of bars in a loincloth was what it took, then that was what he was going to do.

* * *

_Saturday Evening_

On the bright side, Daphne had been wrong. The place was _much_ bigger than a closet. On the not so bright side, it _was_ a hovel. The laundry room was right across the hall and he could hear the machines, which had been whirling for hours now. Justin _hated_ it.

He had an old bed donated from his grandmother, and a sofa donated by Daphne's mother, but that was about all the proper furniture he had, not counting the foot stools and table that he had salvaged from Mrs. Bates' attic. All the knickknacks were either on the table, or on the ridiculously small kitchen counter.

He had refused to let his mother buy anything else, because Justin knew that it was his father's money. I'm not using a single cent of that man's money, he thought. Justin had taken all of his clothes and art supplies and paintings from his room when he left, but had left everything else.

Justin stretched on the bed, and closed his eyes. As had become a habit in the last four months, his mind wandered onto his usual obsession…that fateful night…

_Four Months Ago_

"_Daph, I can't believe we're actually here in Vienna! And this hotel, isn't it fabulous?"Justin was sitting cross legged on Daphne's bed, while she applied finishing touches on her make up at the dressing table. _

"_I'm soooo glad that they picked Austria for the Model United Nations conference… you know that last year it was in Miami? That would have totally sucked, don't you think?"_

_Justin laughed. "I was afraid Dad wouldn't pay for this – he's been bitching about PIFA ever since I got accepted. I think his plan is to guilt trip me into going to Dartmouth once I get back. Where's Lisa?"_

"_Stuffing her face downstairs…I swear, all she's done is eat the entire trip! I don't know why she's even here – I don't think she's even read any of the papers we're presenting." _

"_Well, at least she _can _read. Did you know that Chris Hobbs managed to wrangle his way here? I think his dad must be paying for a new pool at St. James or something. The whole year, I don't think he attended a single Model UN meeting."_

"_Justin, listen, we don't have much time before Lisa comes so can we run through the plan just once more?"_

_Justin sighed in exaggeration. "What's there to run through? We wait till Lisa gets here, then we make a big deal about going to watch a movie in German, and then once we're out, you head to my room where Matt will be waiting, and I'll disappear till one o'clock, and at that time, we'll meet at the taxi stand. Actually, make that the underground park. In the unlikely event that I run into Lisa, I'll say that we had a fight and I left you at the cinema. Woman, you owe me one – it took some incredible amount of planning to make sure I got to share a room with Matt."_

"_That's why I love you Justin!"_

"_I can't believe you get to have sex before me." Justin pouted._

"_Well, what about Chris Hobbs?"_

"_We didn't have sex Daph, I just gave him a hand job. _Big_ difference. Plus, he's turned into the bane of my existence – definitely nothing to boast about."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Justin was in the lobby, wondering how to kill the next five hours without getting caught to Lisa. It was easy enough agreeing to this plan with Daphne, but he had no idea what to do with himself. Justin didn't speak a word of German and was fairly certain that if he were to head out anywhere, he'd either get hopelessly lost or hopelessly bored. Well, at least one of us gets to have sex, he thought. Justin wondered if he would have to wait till he went to PIFA to have sex…he wasn't quite sure that he'd be able to last that long._

_He leaned against a pillar, watching a few well dressed men and women walk from the direction of one of the conference hall, presumably from a cocktail. Justin had seen a brass plaque in the hotel lobby earlier, about some advertising seminar or conference or training or some such – he hadn't paid much attention. Must be the crowd from that, he mused. Justin racked his brain – standing around the lobby for five hours was the perfect way to blow Daphne's cover…there must be someplace he could go to._

_That was when he saw him. _

_This tall, sharply dressed brunette. The handsomest man Justin had ever laid eyes on. As he walked across the lobby, Justin could only stare hopelessly at the man, while his body responded likewise._

_Their eyes met, and the man stopped walking, staring at Justin instead. All Justin could do was gape back at him, until the man walked over, and stood chest to chest with Justin. The chemistry between them was unmistakable. _

"_How's it going?"_

_All conversational skills failed Justin. "Just, uh, you know. Ok, I guess."_

"_You're American." It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. Justin mutely nodded._

_The brunette looked at him with undisguised interest. And desire. "Where you headed?"_

"_No place special." Inside, Justin sighed with relief at finally being able to form a reasonably coherent sentence. _

"_I can change that."_

_Justin let him lead him upstairs, into the man's room. He managed to find out the man's name was Brian, and though Justin introduced himself, he was fairly certain that Brian hadn't heard him._

_Brian started stripping the instant Justin closed the door, throwing his blazer on a chair while heading to the mini bar. _

"_Want anything?"_

"_Huh? Oh, yeah." Again with lame-ass phrases. _

_Justin blinked rapidly, and took the drink that Brian gave him. _

"_Do you like Special K?" Brian was grinning. _

_Brian was discussing breakfast cereal? Justin was certain that he had brought him up here for sex. _

"_It's okay. I like Cheerios better."_

"_I don't mean the kind you eat with bananas." He pulled out a small packet from his pants._

"_I'm really allergic to a lot of drugs. The doctor gave me penicillin once-nearly killed me. And ... Tylenol." _What the fuck am I doing?

"_Tylenol?" Brian laughed. " No one's allergic to Tylenol. Tylenol's what they give you when you're allergic to everything else." Brian paused, and looked at Justin intently. "Have you ever been with anyone before?"_

"_Sure. Well ... not exactly. This is sort of my first." Any minute now, Brian would kick him out of the room. Justin took a deep breath…_please…

"_I figured. Kind of young, aren't you? Well, I was fourteen my first time."_

"_That's really young."_

"_With my gym teacher. It was after school in the locker rooms. He was taking a shower. I went back for something: a book, my jockstrap, I don't remember. Anyway, there he was, all naked, soaping himself. He saw me there, a big boner under my chinos. Shit, I walked right into the showers with all my clothes on. Got down on my knees and sucked him off right there."_

_Justin didn't realize that Brian had managed to loosen him up with the story. "I bet you were scared."_

"_Well, I guess we're all a little scared our first time. But I don't remember any more." It was then Justin realized that Brian had managed to remove all of his clothes while talking._

"_So, are you coming or going? Or coming and then going? Or coming and staying?"_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_Justin had spent five hours in Brian's hotel room. Justin didn't need to have ever had sex to know that Brian was talented in ways most other men could only dream of. It was, by far, the most incredible five hours of Justin's entire life. There were rim jobs, hand jobs and blow jobs, interspersed with sex on every surface of Brian's room. He had even managed to sketch Brian on the hotel notepad, while they each rested and carried on a surprisingly interesting conversation._

_But by twelve forty five, Justin knew that he had to head back to meet Daphne, and Brian had walked down with him, because he was apparently going to continue partying at some club. Justin wanted to ask if he could join Brian, but having to meet Daphne kept him from it. _How many American Brians could there be at the hotel?_ Justin figured that he could find out what he wanted from the reception the following morning._

_Justin didn't notice Chris Hobbs in the corridor as he walked out, laughing, from Brian's room. He didn't notice Hobbs in the lobby either, nor did he notice Hobbs follow himself and Brian into underground parking. _

_For the life of him, Justin couldn't be sure if he was meeting Daphne at the taxi stand or the underground park. Somewhat high and giggling himself, Brian merely followed Justin, alternately kissing and sucking his earlobe, hands roaming all over. That was when Justin decided that he'd do whatever it took to get Brian's information from the reception first thing in the morning, one way or another._

_After wandering around the better part of the underground parking, Brian realized that he was nowhere near the taxi stand, and they argued, each pointing to a different exit as the right way out. They took different stairs, hell bent on proving the other wrong. _

_Justin heard Brian shout his name, for the first time that evening, and as he turned around, he felt cold metal make contact with his head, and then everything went black._

* * *

Justin never knew what had exactly happened. According to Daphne, Brian had called hotel security, who had then called the hospital, where Justin had been rushed into emergency surgery. Hobbs had been immediately thrown in jail, but St. James had been unwilling to have their name tarnished, either by having a gay student fraternizing with an older male (which was the song Hobbs had been singing), or with a homicidal student (Hobbs himself). To their luck, it had been Craig that had flown to Vienna immediately, instead of Jennifer.

As far as Daphne knew, no one except the Austrian police had bothered taking down Brian's details. Craig and the school had ensured that no charges other than those mandated by Austrian law be applied, and as far as Daphne knew, Hobbs would be deported back to America no sooner than his jail term expired.

Justin meanwhile, unconscious for much of his hospital stay in Vienna, had no clue about Brian and any attempts to find further information once he was fully conscious (and back in America) had been stonewalled, mostly by Craig but also by Jennifer.

He had also been rather distracted, first and foremost by the physiotherapy, and afterwards, by Craig informing him that Justin was not quite welcome at home, and that PIFA tuition would not be forthcoming unless Justin agreed to step inside the closet and attend Dartmouth while he was at it.

Justin sighed. Brian. I don't even know his full name.

Justin frowned as he heard a light refrain of a violin being played somewhere. _That's weird, how loud does it have to be heard over those washing machines? _

He rolled over to his side, and the painting caught his eye. He slowly walked towards it.

The half finished painting from Mrs. Bates' place was partially propped up against his easel (it was too large to be on the easel itself). The frame had rotted in places, and Justin had had to struggle to keep it up right. He walked over and rubbed the fabric between his fingers. It felt like canvas…but something wasn't right. He ran his fingers across the fabric once more. It almost felt as if it had been coated with some powder. Justin frowned. Who painted like that?

On looking at the picture again, Justin had to agree with Daphne. It was an eerie, almost creepy painting. It was all grey sky and trees, but too much had been covered in a mist to give it any proper definition. Justin didn't want to be too harsh, but whoever had done the painting hadn't been talented. At all.

Plus, large parts of it was left untouched, and the raw fabric looked decidedly worse than the painting itself. And then there was the image of the man, seated on what must be an attempt at a park bench…Curiously, the man was very well defined, and the colours hadn't faded with time. Justin could clearly make out his wavy brown hair reaching his shoulders. He wore a curious expression…angry, but arrogant at the same time, as if he knew a secret that the rest of the world didn't. Justin wondered at the amount of detail he was now picking up on, which he had missed earlier. He peered closer. Ok, there was also a small goatee (if you could call it that). A violin case lay at the man's feet. Actually, foot.

Justin giggled. For all the effort that had gone into painting the man's features and expression, the painter had forgotten to add the requisite limbs. The figure had no arms whatsoever, and only one leg. Well, I'm going to have to rectify that, Justin thought – he can't as well play the violin with just one leg.

Justin looked at the painting again. A brunette, far better looking than the one in the painting, came to mind. He had sketched Brian many, many times since he had come back from Vienna, but he had never painted him. Maybe he could first add Brian in before he gave the other figure limbs, Justin thought. Brian could be walking by perhaps, or better still, talking to the violinist. And then once he had improved the overall scenery, he could turn this into a painting worth hanging up somewhere.

As Justin reached for his palette, he felt a drop of blood trickle down his nose.

* * *

Model United Nations : Model United Nations (also Model UN or MUN) is an academic simulation of the United Nations. In standard Model UN, students take on roles as diplomats and participate in a simulated session of an intergovernmental organization (IGO). Participants research a country, take on roles as diplomats, investigate international issues, debate, deliberate, consult, and then develop solutions to world problems


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you **Xrifree**, once again!

* * *

Justin was chilled to the bone. He hugged his arms around himself, but it wasn't much help. All he had on was a t-shirt, and it was not nearly enough to keep him warm.

For miles around him, it was just trees. Overgrown and massive, they formed a canopy and blocked any sunlight from reaching the ground. Or was it evening and was that why it was so dark? He looked up once more, but could not see the sky. Justin had no clue as to what the time was; he looked at his wristwatch, and it said ten o'clock. That had to be ten in the evening, given the darkness. He reached into his pocket to find his phone, but it was missing. In fact, his pockets were empty. What the hell was he doing here?

Justin looked at the ground...there was not a single blade of grass, no dead leaves, no twigs...not even the roots of the trees. No nothing. Just mud. What kind of trees didn't shed leaves? Or twigs? Or have roots? Or...or...or something?

Where _was _he? What was he doing here? All Justin could see was a thick mist surrounding him. _How did I get here?_

Justin shivered, and tried to walk. The most important thing to do now was to find his way out of this forest, not stand around wondering how he got there in the first place. Something inside him kept telling him that he was in a bad place, and that he had to get out of there...but where could he go? Justin couldn't see more than three feet in front of him.

He had never been a child who was afraid of the dark, but right now, he was terrified. He was in a strange forest, had no clue how he got there, and couldn't see a damn thing. He looked around once more, and all he could see were mammoth trees, all looking very, very ominous...and they almost seemed to blend into each other. Justin had to squint to make out where one tree ended and the other one began...but that wasn't right, was it? Trees weren't supposed to blend into each other like a valley faraway, right?

Justin tried his best to quell his rising nausea. You need to think, he said to himself. Walk in a straight line, in any direction, and you should eventually clear this forest. This was Pittsburgh. How big could a forest be?

That was when he noticed the noise...someone was playing a violin. In the middle of the forest, where there was no sign of life as far as the eye could see. The tune was slow, and to Justin's ears, all the notes sounded too high. It sounded eerie, but that wasn't what creeped him out the most; _who played a violin in the middle of a strange forest in the dead of the night?_ And the tune...Justin had heard it before somewhere; it sounded strangely familiar, but for the life of him, Justin couldn't figure out where.

"HELLOOOOO? SOMEBODY? IS ANYBODY HERE?"

The only response he got was the sound of the violin refrain, disturbingly loud. _I'm going crazy._

There was no wind and Justin was scared. All he could hear was the violin. As creepy as it was, Justin tried to be sensible about. If a violin was being played, that meant that someone was playing it. That meant finding a way out. He strained to make out which direction the music was coming from, but failed to make any head way. Justin randomly picked a direction and walked, listening intently to see if the music got any louder or lighter...but it didn't. The volume stayed constant. That wasn't possible, Justin thought. He quickly walked in the opposite direction, but it was the same thing; the music got no louder and no lighter; it was like he was wearing an invisible headphone that was playing the music.

_How did I get here?_ Justin suddenly realized that the mist was so thick that he was struggling to breathe through his nose. He took in mouthfuls of air, trying to ignore the chill that went through him. His whole body was struggling to stay calm.

_Nobody knows that I'm here. If I die out here, no one is going to find me._

Justin took a deep breath. He _had_ to get out of here. He ran. He ran past the huge trees and through the mist, thinking that if he could just get out of this forest, he'd be able to find his way back home.

Even as he ran, he could hear the music follow him.

Suddenly he tripped and Justin went sprawling onto the ground. Somewhere deep in the back of his head, a question was forming as to what he tripped over when there was nothing but mud everywhere. Justin stood up, brushing the mud off him, and he felt as if he was on a mountain top somewhere; the air felt thin and breathing was becoming more and more difficult.

To his utter terror, he realized that he hadn't moved so much as an inch for all his running; he was still exactly where he had been earlier...or was he? Justin felt panic wash over him, and he had to struggle to breathe..._please, no no no no no, not an asthma attack not a panic attack not here not now!_

All the trees looked the same, and Justin felt that mist was getting even thicker. He felt a big tear roll down his face..._I don't want to die here...not like this, not now, not yet!_

_How the fuck did I get here? _Justin fell to his knees, gulping in air and trying hard to control his breathing. He _had_ to stay calm.

He tried walking again, this time keeping an eye on his surroundings, to make sure that he was actually moving in any direction. But tears of frustration started to flow when Justin realized that he had no clue whether he was getting anywhere - the trees all looked identical, and Justin felt that he was beginning to lose his mind. They were just trees, they _couldn't _all look identical, he reasoned. But they did. He gingerly touched the bark of one, and pulled his hand away as if he was stung when he felt a liquid on it. Justin hastily wiped his hand on his jeans, and was horrified to see the reddish stain.

When Justin looked down and couldn't see his own feet because the mist was so thick, his panic attack came on full force. His chest constricted, and Justin could barely breathe. The mist enveloped him, and Justin couldn't see anything at all. _I don't want to die here!_

Tears streaming down his face at this point, Justin ran dead straight, hoping to out run the mist and the forest. But when he banged into something hard and solid, he was certain that his luck was up. Justin pushed against the wood and tried to reach his way around it looking for a way out.

Then he suddenly felt himself pitching forward head first, as the darkness engulfed him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you ok?"

"Is he alright?"

"Hey, are you ok?"

Justin opened his eyes to find two very concerned men staring at him.

"Hey, can you hear me? Are you ok?"

"Uh…yeah…I…yeah…" Justin realized that he was on floor, and that he had been pulled up onto lap of a well built hunk of a man, whom he had just replied. A dark haired, smaller looking guy was crouched next to him.

"I…I'm fine." Justin raised himself up, and though his body felt stiff, that was about all the physical discomfort he felt. He looked around to see where he was and was shocked to discover that he was right outside his apartment, in the hallway. His apartment door was wide open, and he also noticed a basket of laundry nearby, presumably belonging to the two men.

That was a _nightmare_? He could still feel his heart pounding against his chest. Justin felt ridiculous as he stood up. Had he sleepwalked his way out of his apartment? One of the men was talking and Justin tried to pay attention.

"Are you sure you're ok? You should probably go to the hospital."

"Ben is right. You really should see a doctor…"

Justin stared at them. "Oh no, I'm fine, really, it was just…I was just…"

"You're bleeding." The good looking guy – Ben? – stated.

That was when Justin noticed the state he was in. His sneakers were muddy, there was an ugly reddish stain on his jeans and his hands were filthy with paint and mud and blood and heaven knew what else. And as he reached for his face, he could not only feel dried blood from an earlier nosebleed, but he could feel a fresh drop of blood trickle down.

Ok, so he had had a nightmare. _But how many people brought back souvenirs from their nightmares?_

"I think he's in shock." The shorter man declared.

Justin found his voice. "No, I'm fine…I just need to…"

"You need to get cleaned up, first of all. Michael, why don't you help him? We can do laundry later. I'll put this back upstairs and I'll be back."

"He's right. I'm Michael, by the way. This is my boyfriend, Ben. You're the new guy in this apartment, right? Come on, why don't you have a shower and get into some new clothes and then we can see how you're feeling?"

"I'm Justin, and thanks, but I'm really ok…" Michael paid no attention to Justin's words, and herded him into Justin's own place, and since the door was already open, it proved easy enough to do.

Michael was fussing over him like a mother hen, and Justin did see the point in getting himself cleaned up. So he let Michael wait inside his apartment as he grabbed a towel and some clean clothes and went to have a shower. He glanced towards the painting before he went to shower, and noticed that he had knocked it over, presumably during his frenzied nightmare. Justin stopped to set it right, and noted that he had just finished etching Brian's silhouette and painting parts of it. The paint tubes and palette was lying on the ground nearby. For the life of him, he couldn't remember exactly what he had done last night.

Justin began to feel better as the hot water washed over him. He had glanced at the time earlier, and it was ten thirty. In the morning. What the fuck had happened? There was no doubt about it – he _had _had a nightmare. But there was no way that Justin could explain the mud, or the stain, or the copious amount of blood that he seemed to have shed. And had he actually opened the door to his apartment and run out?

The last thing he remembered was laying down to rest after painting for a while last night. And then he had been trapped inside that forest…no, wait, that had been just a nightmare. Justin shook his head as he stepped out of the shower. He could make no sense of it and he still felt scared and shaken.

Michael smiled at him in relief when he came. Justin noticed that Ben had returned, bringing with him yet another tall brunette and a steaming mug.

"You really had us worried back there. Ben and I were just heading to do laundry, and you rushed out of your apartment, bleeding, gasping for air and then you suddenly collapsed. Thank heavens for Ben's quick reflexes; otherwise you might have hit your head. That's Emmett by the way, my roommate."

Emmett put an arm around Justin's shoulder. "Hey baby, I heard what happened. Are you feeling better now?"

Justin smiled, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry for making all of you worry; I was just having a really _really_ bad nightmare…and the nosebleeds…I think it's just a late reaction to an accident I had a couple of months ago. I'm pretty sure that I'm ok."

"I thought you could use a cup of coffee," Ben said, handing him the mug. "I think we should take you to the hospital, just in case. It's always better to get checked out, especially when you've got something like a nosebleed."

Justin took the mug, feeling like a total idiot. What a sight he must have been - disheveled, tear-stained, bleeding and hyperventilating. He spoke to Ben.

"Thanks for the coffee. I feel fine; really, I don't think I need to go to the hospital. Besides, I don't have insurance, so I'd much rather avoid it if I can." Justin was pretty sure that he was still listed as one of Craig's dependents, but that was a road he did _not _want to take.

"Oh." Both Ben and Michael frowned, wondering how to proceed.

It was Emmett, Michael's roommate that came up with the most sensible idea. "I'm sure Justin hasn't eaten anything – sweetie, you must be starving – so why don't we all go to the diner? We can keep an eye on Justin, and if it seems like he's dizzy or gets nosebleeds again, maybe we can take him to the Liberty Clinic. I'm sure we can find a doctor there who will do us a favour."

Justin had heard of the Liberty Clinic; it was a clinic for HIV/AIDS patients who couldn't afford treatment. He had never been there, but clearly Emmett, Ben and Michael were familiar faces there. They must volunteer there, Justin surmised.

"Em, that's an excellent idea. Come on Justin, my mother runs this diner, you can have breakfast there and if you feel sick again, we can take you to the clinic."

Despite Justin's protests that he was absolutely fine and didn't want to further trouble the three men, he found himself being taken to diner nevertheless. None of the three took Justin's protests seriously.

On the way to the diner, Justin learnt that Ben, a professor at Carnegie Mellon, was HIV positive himself, and counseled at the clinic in his spare time. That explained Emmett's remark. Emmett himself worked at Torso, a menswear store, and Michael apparently had just started running his own comic book store.

After his earlier display, Justin was not at all eager to tell these three his entire background; they'd probably think he was as frail as a china doll, or in need of psychiatric treatment. So he conveniently left out everything about Chris Hobbs and the bashing, and omitted vast amounts of details regarding his father's reaction to him being gay. He just said that his family wasn't too happy with him being gay, so he had decided to move out, and that he was trying to save up to attend PIFA. Simplicity was key.

He met Michael's mother, Debbie, at the diner. She was loud and bossy, but Justin took an instant liking to her. Debbie, for her part, took to calling him Sunshine.

"So you'll start at Babylon from tomorrow evening? Hmmm…well, we're all regulars there, so you can always come to anyone of us if you need anything, ok sweetie? That Sap can be real slave driver. A creepy, lecherous slave driver."

Justin smiled in thanks at Emmett, but was prevented from replying when Michael's phone started to ring.

"Hey Brian…at the diner, why?…What? Now? (long pause)... But it's Sunday!...Brian, I have to do inventory…not, it can't wait…Jesus Brian, thanks a lot. Did you call Lindsay?... Fuck you! I'm not….Seriously Brian. Fuck you…yes, yes you can. Fine."

A fuming Michael slammed his phone onto the table and stated the obvious. "That was Brian."

Justin smiled to himself. Looks like 'Brian' was a common name. He looked around the table, and when no one said anything, he asked "Who's Brian?"

Everyone spoke at the same time:

"An asshole." That was Michael.

"Brian Kinney, stud of Liberty Avenue." That was Emmett.

"Michael's best friend." The simplest answer came from Ben. He looked at Michael and asked "What has happened now?"

"He says there's some fuck up at work and he has to take the next flight out to Chicago, and he had promised Mel & Lindz that he'd watch Gus today, which he obviously can't do now. So I'm supposed to drop everything and go babysit Gus. Stupid idiot, I was going to finish inventory today."

"I'd step in, except that I have to finish marking those papers…" Ben was looking sympathetically at Michael.

"Aw, and I have a three to close shift, otherwise I'd have totally helped you."

"And Ma's working as well. Fuck."

Considering all the trouble he had put Michael, Ben and Emmet through, Justin felt it was only right that he volunteer.

"I'm free the whole day…I could babysit. I used watch my sister Molly all the time when she was a kid."

Michael looked at Justin hopefully. "Really? Could you? But you're not well…"

"Don't be silly! I'm feeling absolutely fine. This morning was just…it was nothing, really. I take it Gus is your friend's son?"

"Yeah, he's the sperm donor, as they say. Gus has two moms, both of whom are busy today. Look, if you're sure that you're feeling ok, then I'd be really grateful. I don't want Mel & Lindz to freak completely, so we'll pick Gus up and then go to the shop. You can watch Gus, and I can do inventory and everyone's happy."

Justin ended up spending the better part of the day with Michael. First they went to Mel & Lindz's house – who turned out to be Melanie and Lindsay – and picked up Gus. The ladies – Michael referred to them as 'girls' – were in a rush, but had been very nice. Justin had even managed to have an interesting chat with Lindsay about a painting that was in her living room. He liked the 'girls'.

Then they had gone to Michael's shop, where Justin entertained, fed, and put Gus to sleep. Considering that Gus was a very well behaved six month old, it proved to be an easy task. Plus, Justin genuinely liked Gus.

He was grateful for all these distractions, because it meant that Justin didn't have to think about his bizarre nightmare, or how he had woken up with mud and stains on his body when it all supposedly only happened in his imagination. Babysitting Gus was a very good way to get his heart rate back to normal.

Michael turned out to be quite the geek. He was very nice, but way too geeky and neurotic when surrounded by comics. Justin learnt more about comic books and superheroes in that one afternoon than he had ever known in his entire life. He was almost relieved when Emmett turned up around six forty five. After dropping Gus back, Justin was invited for dinner and a movie at Michael and Emmett's, which he gladly accepted. He liked these two. He also liked Ben, but Ben didn't materialize for the rest of the day, though he did call Michael.

By the time Justin got back to his own place, he was a happy tired, and decided against doing any painting, or thinking about his nightmare. He was going to start at Babylon tomorrow, and he wanted to get adequate rest. There was no way that go go dancing was as easy as it looked.

* * *

As it turned out, it was a good thing that Justin got a good night's sleep, because his first day on the job was exhausting. He had spent the part of Monday with Daphne, and he had painted a little bit when he was on his own. Justin was horrified to discover that the nosebleed was back, and by the time he went to Babylon, he had bled at least four times. Justin was beginning to worry, and was almost tempted to call Ben and ask him if he could get a doctor at the clinic to have a look at him. It was with the greatest difficulty that Justin talked himself out of it.

Michael and Emmet had been at Babylon, and Justin briefly met another friend of theirs called Ted. He had wondered if Gus's father would make an appearance as well, but if he did, Justin was too busy working to notice.

By the time he was finished, Justin was exhausted. Plus, to ensure that he had a good spot, he had to hang to around after closing hours and make sure that Sap got what he wanted. Ugh, Emmett didn't know the half of it.

My life is out there somewhere, Justin thought, and someone else is living it.

Tuesday didn't go anywhere close to what Justin had planned. He was going to paint the whole day, then go onto PIFA and post some flyers. Justin figured that he could write art history and visual analysis papers for students to earn a few extra bucks, and it would be an excellent way to familiarize himself with the course before he started in January.

However, Lindsay called Justin almost as soon as he woke up, wanting to know if he was available to babysit Gus for a few hours while she did some emergency errands or some such. She said that she would pay him, but even if she hadn't, Justin wasn't sure that he would have been able to refuse. So Justin abandoned all plans of painting, and went to Lindsay's place with his sketch book instead. Gus seemed pleased to see him, and Justin had fun playing with the baby and managed to do some decent portraits of a sleeping Gus later on.

After Lindsay came back, he went straight to PIFA and put up his flyers in and around the building. He had four months to find tuition fees, and Justin was determined to mine every opportunity for all it was worth. If he started classes in January, he would have to cut down on his hours at Babylon, and Justin could foresee that becoming a _big _problem. By the time he got back home, he had just enough time to have dinner and shower before heading off to Babylon. To his immense relief, he hadn't had a nosebleed the entire day.

Justin had been dancing for over an hour when Travis, the assistant manager motioned to him take a break. Justin spotted Ben on the dance floor with Emmett, and figured that Michael must be at the bar, perhaps with Ted. He decided to go say hello before he headed to the changing room and rested his feet.

Michael spotted Justin first, and he smiled. "Hey, Justin, how's Day Two?"

But Justin was transfixed by the tall brunette standing next to Michael, who stared back at Justin with widened eyes and parted lips.

"Brian!"


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks **Xrifree**, for reviewing this chapter for me. I hope you like the last part :)

* * *

"Brian!"

"You two know each other?" Michael was asking, and in Justin's peripheral vision, he vaguely noted Ted standing with Michael, looking curious.

But those were details that his subconscious mind picked up, to store and playback later when he relived the moment. Right now, Justin had eyes and ears only for Brian, who had stepped forward towards Justin.

"You're ok…" Brian's hand had instinctively gone to the side of Justin's head where he was hit, and Justin knew that he must have felt the small thin scar that ran up to his ear, which was now covered by his hair. Brian knew the exact spot.

"I'm ok." Justin couldn't stop beaming and his eyes were sparkling. Brian was here, in Pittsburgh! He was Michael's friend, which meant that he lived here…in a million years, Justin would never have imagined that he would bump into Brian like this. It was too good to be true.

Michael and Ted were both staring at Brian, neither of them knowing what Brian's words or touch signified. They were looking at Brian as if he had gone crazy.

"You're really ok."

Brian's hand was still moving slowly, feeling the scar, and Justin wasn't sure if he was making a statement or asking a question. Justin was trying to find the most appropriate thing to tell Brian, and he couldn't come up with anything. He could only stare at Brian, looking for all the world as if he had just won the jackpot.

"What the fuck is going on? Brian, how do you know Justin?"

Michael's impatient voice finally got through to Brian, and Justin saw his expression change a nanosecond before he drew his hand away. It was as if Brian had put on a mask.

"Yes, we…know each other." Brian didn't really answer the question Michael had asked.

Michael rolled his eyes at Brian. "I gathered that much." He turned to Justin. "How do you know Brian?"

"We –" Justin couldn't finish his sentence because Brian cut him off.

"We fucked. How do you _think _we know each other?"

"Jesus Brian, isn't he a bit too young for you? Where on earth did you two meet?" Michael shook his head, and Ted was watching the whole scene unfold with amusement.

"At a hotel. Now are you done with playing twenty questions? Why don't you go find the good professor?" Brian turned away from Michael dismissing him, but Michael stayed rooted to the spot.

"What are you doing here?" Brian asked, and Justin felt embarrassed, almost ashamed, for the first time.

"I…uh…I work here. I mean, I just started, yesterday that is."

Brian looked him up and down and Justin couldn't make out what his expression meant. When he spoke to Justin next, he sounded almost angry.

"You work here. Does Sap know that you're underage? Or did you silence him with your boyish charm?"

"You're underage?" Michael looked aghast.

"How do you even know how old he is?" Ted asked at the same time.

"I'll be eighteen soon…and I…I needed a job."

Brian was frowning openly now. "I can think of at least three dozen jobs where you can make money _legally_. And keep your clothes on at the same time."

Was Brian mad at him? _For what?_

"None that will pay me this well." Justin smiled at him, hoping that smiles were contagious.

"Am I the only one that feels like he's watching a foreign movie without subtitles?" Ted was ignored, once again.

"Right. Because widdle suburban Picasso _needs_ the money, right?"

"Brian, what the fuck is the matter with you? Stop picking on Justin. Just because you fucked him once doesn't mean you know him."

"You're right Mikey. Come Justin, let us go and get to know each other better."

Brian grabbed Justin's hand, and dragged him to the staff changing room, oblivious to Michael's protests. Justin was praying that Sap wouldn't catch them, but at the same time, he was happy to have the chance to be alone with Brian.

They entered the room to find another one of the dancers stretching, and he looked up as Brian and Justin entered.

"Wow, getting fucked by Brian Kinney on your second day – you should consider getting your ass insured, Taylor."

"What's your name?" Brian did not look amused.

"Hunter."

Brian pulled out some change. "Here's a tip, Hunter. Why don't you go make sure that the Sap stays out?"

Hunter grinned, taking the cash. "I didn't see a thing." He left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Brian –"

"We give out information on a need to know basis. Are we clear on that? So as far as Michael and Ted and all the rest are concerned, we met at a hotel and we fucked. You got that?"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why? Why can't I just tell the truth?"

"Because."

"Because you say so?" Justin wanted to hug Brian, to thank him for being there, for saving him, but this scene was not playing out right.

"Because it's nobody's fucking business how we met."

"Ok…"

"Now, why the fuck are you working here?"

Justin moved closer to Brian, and was relieved that the brunette let him. "I told you, I need the money. College doesn't pay for itself."

Brian scoffed. "And what about your parents? Craig, right?"

Justin looked at Brian in surprise. "You met my dad?"

"We ran into each other at the hospital…when you were…"

"Oh, well…he'll pay for college if I step back in the closet. Fuck if I'm going to do that!" Justin was suddenly standing about three feet off the ground; if Brian had met Craig at the hospital, he must have stayed with Justin for at least 18 or 20 hours, right?

"Well, find another job. You're seventeen years old; a bit too young to start losing your self-respect, don't you think?"

Justin stared at Brian, jaw dropping open in shock. His arms, which were making their way to embrace Brian, fell limply to his sides.

"You're the stud of Liberty Avenue, and _you're_ lecturing _me _on self respect? For trying to pay for my education?"

Brian leaned in so close that his nose was almost touching Justin's. "I fuck for pleasure. Because I can. I'm not selling my body to the highest bidder."

"I'm a dancer, not a hustler!" This meeting was nothing like what Justin had imagined it to be. Brian was supposed to be happy to see him again, not angry and…disappointed?

"Oh, really? Am I to assume that you got this job by just making doe eyes at Sap?"

Justin blanched, and Brian gave him a hard smile.

"I didn't think so."

"Brian, I –" Brian interrupted Justin once again.

"You're not even well. You're sick."

Justin stared at Brian. Even if Michael had told him about the nosebleed and the drama from Sunday, there was no way that Brian would have known that he was talking about Justin. Brian must have meant the bashing, Justin figured.

"The doctors said I'm fine, I've done physio and –"

"You're sick _now, _Justin."

Justin was confused. "Brian, what are you talking about?"

For a moment, Brian looked flustered and almost unsure of himself. "You're not well…even _I _can feel it by just touching you…you probably have a slight fever…this gig here –"

The door suddenly opened, and Hunter popped his head in, looking at them curiously before speaking.

"Travis says you're up in five, Taylor." Hunter closed the door.

"Duty beckons, I see." Brian shook his head and made his way towards the door, but stopped when Justin spoke to him.

"Will I see you again?"

"You work here, Justin. I'm a patron. I'm sure we'll run into each other now and then."

"That's not what I meant, I meant…"

Justin was speaking to an empty room, because Brian had already walked out.

* * *

Justin was tempted to hail a cab, but he decided that it would be far more prudent to walk it home, combined with the night bus. Unnecessary expenditure was best avoided. He had danced all night, but watching Brian dance and make numerous trips to the backroom with various tricks was far more exhausting.

"You know, hustling isn't so bad. You made it sound like some sorta crime."

Justin turned to look at Hunter, who had fallen into step with him. He had heard that Hunter used to be a hustler; he was apparently HIV positive as well. He seemed to be the same age as Justin, but acted as if he were decades older.

"You were listening."

Hunter laughed. "Of course I was listening – Brian Kinney hauls one of us into the _changing_ room? There's definitely a story there. So, what's the deal between you two?"

Justin sighed. "Did you miss the part where Brian said it was nobody's business?"

"Aw c'mon. So you're not telling?" Hunter looked genuinely disappointed.

"Nope." Justin almost smiled at the petulant expression on Hunter's face.

"Why were you in hospital?" Hunter was clearly trying a different tactic.

"I was sick." Justin replied nonchalantly. At least Hunter was making him smile.

"And _Brian Kinney _came to see you?" Hunter was incredulous.

"Again, did you miss the part where Brian said it was nobody's business?"

There were several minutes of silence before Hunter spoke again.

"You got the hots for Kinney, don't you?"

Justin decided to remain resolutely silent.

"Hmmm. Silence usually means yes. You couldn't keep your eyes off him all evening. You know, you should try and at least get him to fuck you. I hear he's mind blowing."

"I've _already_ got him to fuck me, and he _is_ mind blowing."

Hunter laughed quietly. "Well Taylor, then you're shit out of luck, because you're never going to get that close to him again. Brian Kinney never fucks the same guy twice."

Justin finally looked at Hunter. "We'll just have to see about that now, won't we?"

* * *

When Justin eventually got home, he was tired, but full of inspiration. Lindsay had called him earlier in the day, wanting to know if he could babysit in the afternoon the following day, to which he had readily agreed to. That meant that he could sleep in late without any worries.

Justin quickly had a shower, and then stood in front of the painting. He had a vision of Brian inside his head that he just had to translate on to the canvas (he had taken to thinking of it as canvas, even though he knew that it technically, it was some other fabric). He frowned as he notice the painting covered in what seemed to be dust. Ugh, more distractions, Justin thought, as he gently cleaned it before he started painting. He knew that the canvas wasn't ideal, but the challenge it held made Justin want to somehow complete the painting.

Justin painted for hours nonstop, stopping only to wash his face each time a nosebleed would start, which was about once every forty five minutes. He made a mental note to speak to Ben over the weekend if the nosebleeds continued. He also thought of asking Hunter about a cheap clinic somewhere; as a HIV positive former hustler, Hunter would surely know someplace Justin could go get help from. A cheap place.

He was seriously beginning to think that he was falling sick; Brian, who had touched him perhaps for a grand total of three minutes, had mentioned that he had felt feverish to the touch, and now, he was feeling incredibly cold. Halfway through painting, Justin had to go wear a jacket, he was that cold. Justin knew that it was in the basement, but it _was _the middle of August and the chill seemed quite unreasonable.

He went to sleep several hours later, too tired and cold to change out of his clothes. He had finished painting the image of Brian onto the canvas, and was thrilled with the result. The details and features had turned out just as he had hoped. He felt somewhat regretful though, because he was certain that the canvas was slowly rotting from the inside. The fine powder had appeared several times, and Justin could only gently blow it off due to the wet paint. Incredibly, it didn't seem to affect the quality of the painting though. Justin figured that he was just too tired to notice.

Justin was in trouble the minute he hit the bed. As tired as he was, he couldn't fall asleep. It was as if the darkness was speaking to him, and he felt scared and ridiculous at the same time. It didn't take long, however, for his fear to completely take over, and Justin decided that he was going to sleep with the lights on.

Justin didn't know how long he had been asleep, but when he woke up, all the lights were off and the room was dark. And he felt a strange presence in the room with him. It was as if he was being watched, and something or someone was trying to tell him something. Instinctively, he felt that it wasn't anything good. He was terrified, and visions of his nightmare from Sunday sprang to mind. Justin tried to take slow, deep breathes and struggled to stay calm. _It was just a nightmare then, and it's just a nightmare now._

His heart almost stopped beating, when in the darkness, he could make out an even darker, almost pitch black silhouette. It was practically amorphous and hazy, but Justin could still make out the dark black against the darkness of the room. _This is a nightmare. That's all it is. Just a nightmare. There's nothing and no one inside this room except me._

No matter how many times he chanted that to himself, it didn't stop the rising wave of cold fear that was building inside of him. His whole body felt paralyzed, and he felt light-headed and dizzy. Justin opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came. He could only feel the terrified, silent breaths that escaped.

Then suddenly, just like that, it was gone. The entity vanished and the lights suddenly came on.

When Justin felt the blood trickle down his upper lip, he began to think that maybe it wasn't a doctor he needed but a psychiatrist.

* * *

**A/N**: A huge thank you to everyone who is reading this story, reviewing it and for those who have already put it on their alerts. You guys rock!

Reviews are like aphrodisiacs. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Once again, thank you, **Xrifree**. I confess, I took the easy way out :P

* * *

Justin wished that he could babysit Gus all night. No dancing at Babylon, no watching Brian Kinney trick, no Melanie and Lindsay coming home, no tuition to save up for, no nosebleeds and hallucinations and memory loss (Justin could only assume that he couldn't remember staining his jeans, or getting mud on his sneakers, because there was no other way to explain what had happened on Sunday) or any of that. With Gus, it was all about circles and triangles and stuffed toys and bright colours.

Unfortunately, Lindsay had come home and Melanie was expected back soon, which meant that Justin's time was up. He had offered to give Gus a bath, and Lindsay had gratefully accepted the offer. There was three month refresher course for art teachers and Lindsay had been keen to attend it before she started teaching again, and now that she had found a regular babysitter in Justin, she had decided to take the course. It was three days a week from three to six, which meant that three days a week Justin was working from three in the afternoon until three in the morning. He could live with that.

A playful Gus had managed to soak Justin's t-shirt quite thoroughly, despite all of Justin's precautions, and now he was content with pulling Justin's arguably longish locks and giggling each time Justin moved his head in the opposite direction as he was carried downstairs. Justin was finding himself growing increasingly attached to Gus.

He heard loudish voices, and he could make out Melanie saying something about giving up parental rights before he actually walked in on Melanie, Lindsay and Brian in the living room.

Brian stared at him; his face a mix of amusement and another emotion that Justin couldn't name. Justin gave Brian the most angelic smile that he could muster. It should be a crime for a man to look that good.

Melanie looked from Brian to Justin and sighed.

"You fucked the babysitter." She deadpanned.

"In my defense, he wasn't the babysitter when I fucked him."

"Brian!" Lindsay looked exasperated.

"You're at Babylon, you're my son's babysitter…what are you, stalking me?"

Justin laughed. "You should be so lucky as to have someone this young and hot stalk you, instead of men who probably voted during the Clinton administration."

Melanie guffawed and Brian glared. Justin noted the papers in Melanie's hand.

"Why don't I feed Gus and put him to bed? You guys seem to be in the middle of something serious."

'Yes, thanks Justin." Lindsay smiled at him gratefully.

Justin paused, and looked at Brian. "Do you want to play with him until I get his dinner ready?"

Brian looked happy and surprised; he nodded and moved to take Gus out of Justin's arms.

Justin was too busy staring at Brian, being entranced by the interaction between Gus and Brian. Gus was already reaching for Brian and Brian's eyes were smiling as he reached for Gus.

That's when it happened. When Justin least expected it. As Brian took Gus from Justin, their arms brushed against each other for several seconds. And that was all it took; Justin saw a blinding light for about five seconds and he felt the same feeling of light-headed dizziness of the previous night wash over him. It lasted only several seconds, like the blinding light, and with Gus safely in Brian's arms, Justin took a step back, trying to steady himself.

"Justin?" Brian, worry and concern evident on his face.

"Are you all right?" Lindsay, looking unsure and scared.

"Here, sweetie." Melanie, offering tissue.

Blood, trickling down slowly.

"_Fuck!"_ Justin ground out. He could not _believe _he was getting a nosebleed. What the _hell_ was the matter with him?

Brian couldn't do much, with Gus gurgling obliviously in his arms, but both Melanie and Lindsay were by his side.

"Do you need to sit down?"

"Are you ok?"

"Can I get you some water?"

"Are you sick?"

_Shit, there was more blood than usual. _He felt like a gallon of blood was pouring out of his nose, and he had to use several wads of tissue to stem the flow. Brian, Melanie and Lindsay were all watching him, all of them unsure and worried. Justin felt like a complete and utter moron. _What the fuck is the matter with me?_

Justin pinched his nose together between his thumb and index finger, while holding a wad of tissue to stem the blood flow. He had had too many nosebleeds in the last few days not to have mastered the art of how to put a stop to it.

There was pin drop silence in the room as he leaned forward slightly, tilting his head forward. Melanie stood by his side silently, offering him more tissues when he needed it. Lindsay stood by Brian, glass of water in hand. Brian was gently stroking Gus' back, not taking his eyes off Justin.

Justin had to hold the nose for at least five minutes before the blood flow stopped. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, a voice told him that the fact that he could do this without a mirror and not spill a drop of blood on the floor, was disturbing. Things were clearly getting way out of hand.

Justin wiped his nose, and laughed looking everyone's worried faces, trying to make light of the situation.

"I'm fine, really. This is nothing, it's just…my sinus. It acts up all the time." Justin grinned, and hoped that no one would pick up on the sheer terror he felt inside. "Seriously, don't worry, this is completely normal. As a kid, I used to get nosebleeds every other day…I'll just go wash my face, and then get Gus' dinner. Really, don't worry, I'm fine."

Justin hurried out of the room. This was serious. People just did _not_ get nosebleeds this consistently for no rhyme or reason. He had been given a clean bill of health when he had been discharged from the hospital, so this was obviously a new ailment.

For some reason, Justin's gut instinct told him that it was psychological rather than physical. It would make sense, given his bizarre nightmares of late, the sleep walking and the memory loss and hallucinations. He needed to get help before this got any worse.

Justin was deep in thought and preparing Gus' dinner on autopilot that he didn't notice that Brian had walked into the kitchen until he saw him settle Gus in his chair, all ready to eat.

"Sinus? You bleed so much because of sinus? I thought you had allergies, not a sinus condition."

Justin looked at the older man in surprise. He didn't know that Brian had remembered a thing he had said that night in Vienna.

"I have both…allergies and sinus. It's all this dust…from moving house…it's just aggravated the sinus. It'll settle down in a few weeks."

"Justin…are you sure? This nosebleed, it's not from…?"

"The bashing? No, the doctors told me that I was fine. My hand, it tires easily when I'm stressed, but that's about all the after effects there is…"

Brian looked at Justin doubtfully. Justin wondered if Brian thought he was lying. He decided that the best thing to do would be to change the subject, and more importantly, he knew that this was an opening to talk about what had happened.

"Thank you. For taking me to the hospital. You know, in Vienna. For being there with me. I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for you."

"You're a strong kid. You'd have fought your way back to life, whether I was there or not." For the first time since they had argued at Babylon, Brian gave Justin a genuine smile.

"If not for you –"

"Brian, what are you doing?" Melanie walked into the kitchen, frowning. "Justin will feed Gus, will you please come here so that we finish discussing this?"

"Yes, heaven forbid we keep Her Honourable Melanie Marcus waiting."

Brian nodded at Justin before walking out.

* * *

Justin tried his best not to listen to the voices in the living room while he fed Gus, and then took him upstairs to put him to bed. But it was hard not; Brian and Melanie raised their voices frequently, and it was silent enough in the house for the voices to carry. Justin gathered that Brian was supposed to hand over his parental rights to Melanie; that such had been the agreement when Gus had been conceived, but Brian was apparently having cold feet now, or hesitating to sign, or some such. He couldn't hear everything to get an exact picture.

He put Gus to sleep without too much of a fuss, and tuned out the noises from downstairs to think about his own predicament. As convinced as he was that the nosebleeds were caused by some psychological reason, Justin knew that he would first have to get himself checked out physically.

Going to Ben for help was out of the question; from Ben to Michael, and from Michael to Brian was a line of communication he wasn't going to chance. He thought about Daphne, but then was forced to dismiss that option as well. First off, Daphne wouldn't know of cheap avenues for medical expertise anymore than he did. Secondly, if Daphne were to think that the nosebleeds were serious, she would probably ask her mother for financial help, and then the call to Jennifer, his own mother, would not take long. Justin did not want to deal with that headache on top of everything else.

So it would have to be Hunter. Justin would have to sacrifice his initial salary, because he didn't think that even Hunter could find a free doctor, but this had to be done. As long as it was cheap and reliable, Justin would get himself checked out. What was the point of saving for PIFA if he'd end up being too sick to attend?

When Justin's stomach started growling, he decided that it was time to leave. He'd be able to grab a quick dinner before heading off to Babylon. He was more keen on speaking to Hunter than anything else; Justin had never felt so scared for himself in his entire life.

When he came downstairs, Brian was nowhere in sight. Justin assumed that he had left for the evening, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. He said his goodbyes to Melanie and Lindsay, and walked out of the door and almost fell on top of Brian, who was seated on the porch steps, having a smoke.

"Jesus, Brian! You scared me!"

Brian glanced at him. "Would that be on the same scale as watching someone rain blood in the living room?"

Justin ignored the question.

Brian stood up and dusted his pants. "Come on, we can grab something to eat at the diner before you have to go start your Carol Doda impression."

Justin was grinning as he clambered into the jeep, and was oblivious to Brian's sarcasm. He kept a steady stream of conversation going till they got to the diner, and Brian seemed particularly keen on hearing what Gus had been up to in the afternoon. Justin tried hard not to openly stare at Brian; he just could not get over how fucking awesome the man looked. He wondered if Hunter was right, and if he really _was_ shit out of luck.

"Sunshine! How are you doing sweetheart?"

"Sunshine?" Brian looked at Debbie, smirking.

"Yeah, Sunshine. You got a problem with that, asshole?"

"Ever the charmer, aren't you Deb? I'll have the usual." Brian slid into an empty booth, and Justin sat in front of him.

Justin was tempted to order half the menu, but had to remind himself that he was now on a budgeted existence. Plus, if he had to make allowances for a doctor and probably medication, he would have to make his dollars stretch even further. He ordered a modest dinner, based more on pricing than his actual preference for the dishes.

"Dinner's on me. Order whatever you want. You're going to be dancing for four or five hours straight, on top of all that blood you decided that you could do without. Get something more." Brian was texting someone and not even looking at Justin, but he clearly hadn't missed a beat.

"Don't be silly. I can pay for my own food." Justin refused to be thought of as some charity case.

Debbie frowned, but held her tongue as she looked at Brian, waiting for instructions. And he didn't disappoint her.

"Deb, why don't you get Sunshine here something more…filling? From what I understand, he has a long night ahead of himself."

Debbie left before Justin could verbalize his objection a second time round, and came back later with a meal that obviously met with Brian's approval, if not Justin's.

"Sunshine, just enjoy it. This asshole's got more money than he knows what to do with. And he's right; you need to eat properly. Michael told me that you weren't feeling too good."

_Fuck. _Justin saw Brian's eyebrows rise, but fortunately, he chose not to ask or say anything. There was nothing to do but eat what he was given, and truth be told, Justin was famished.

Dinner turned out to be an enjoyable experience; once Justin had gotten over feeling affronted, conversation flowed naturally, and he had made Brian laugh on more than one occasion. Justin was glad for the company, and found himself being drawn to Brian for reasons other than sex.

Debbie joined them a couple of times, but she mostly left them alone, watching curiously from the counter. Brian paid for both their meals over Justin's protests, but with Debbie colluding with Brian, he was outnumbered. Brian told Justin that he'd drop him at Babylon; Brian was apparently meeting Michael, Emmett and the gang at Woody's.

They were inside the jeep and Justin debated with himself about asking Brian on what he had heard at Lindsay's several times before deciding to bite the bullet.

"Are you going to hand over your parental rights to Mel?"

"Sneaky little twat, aren't you?"

"What's so sneaky – you guys were certainly loud enough. If Gus could understand, he'd ask the same thing. Well? Are you going to hand over your parental rights?"

"Not that it's any of your fucking business, but that was the deal."

"But you're Gus' father! No one can force you to do that! And you love him…" Justin stared at Brian, horrified.

"Yeah, some father I'd make. I'll be fucking some trick in the backroom while Mel makes small talk at the PTA meetings. He'd be better off with her." Brian had his eyes steadfastly on the road, but Justin thought he heard bitterness creeping into Brian's voice.

"How can you say that? You're Gus' dad – no one can take that away from you. It isn't right. They shouldn't force you to –"

"Who the fuck do you think you are? You're a seventeen year old kid. What the fuck do you know about being a father?" Brian's words and tone were harsh, and they silenced Justin in an instance.

He felt tears prick the back of his eyes, and he looked away from Brian, while memories of his own father flashed before him. Justin remained silent for the rest of the journey, until he realized that Babylon was only a few minutes away. Then he spoke softly.

"You're right. I'm nobody. I'm a seventeen year old kid who knows fuck all about being a father. But I know a little something about being a son. I know that it's wonderful to grow up in a house with two stable parents; that it's great to have a father who remembers your birthday every year and who gets you something every Christmas. I know that I was always grateful to have a father who took me to the zoo, even though the sight of caged animals made me bawl my eyes out no matter how old I was; I was grateful that I had a father who tried to teach me how to play baseball even though what I really wanted to do was stay inside and draw.

I know that as a son, I was considered lucky to have a father who attended all my PTA meetings and piano recitals and art exhibitions, even though he wanted me to be on the football team. I was a son that was lucky his father didn't drink too much, a son lucky enough to have his father at home in time for dinner almost every day.

But look at me now. I'm a seventeen year old who lives in a hovel and dances at a nightclub every night because his father can't stand having a queer son.

And you know what? I trade all that. I'd trade all the birthdays and Christmases and recitals and the fucking PTAs and the dinners and everything.

I'll gladly take a father who couldn't remember exactly how old I was; who didn't know if I preferred to sculpt or paint; who left my mother because he couldn't keep his dick to himself; a father who didn't know what a PTA was; a father who wasn't perfect.

As long as he would have looked at me and said 'son, I love you no matter what; whether you're straight or queer or a fucking tranny, you're my son and I love you.' That would be enough. That would be all I would ever want from a father."

The jeep had come to halt outside of Babylon. Brian was looking at Justin silently, his expression unreadable.

"So yeah, I know fuck all about being a father. But I know as a son, what I would want from my father. And that's for him to love me. The way you love Gus. And maybe Gus will be fine with just Lindsay and Melanie. But you're here and you love him, and what the fuck is so wrong with having an extra parent who loves you just as much as the two parents you live with?

You want to sign over your parental rights; go right ahead. I'm just some kid you fucked; who am I to stop you? I know shit about being a father anyway. But as a kid who wishes that he had a father who actually loved him, here's some advice: when you sign over your rights, you make sure that you'd still get to be a part of Gus' life. Because as a son, that's what Gus would want. He would want the love you have for him to be a part of his life.

Thanks for the ride. And dinner."

Justin grabbed his bag and walked into Babylon, the tears finally streaming down his face when Brian couldn't see.

* * *

Justin was grateful for the big dinner; he would have been exhausted otherwise. It had been a long night. He slung his bag over his shoulder, and waited for Hunter to finish getting dressed.

"I didn't see you speak to Kinney today."

Justin made a noncommittal sound. He had seen Brian at Babylon much later on in the evening, but Hunter was right, he didn't venture anywhere near Brian. After the scene in the jeep, he was pretty sure that Brian wanted him to stay as far away as possible. He hadn't seen Michael or Ben or Ted, though he had seen and spoken to Emmett briefly when he was on a break. Apparently, everyone had been at Babylon. Brian had taken a couple of tricks to the backroom; that much he had noticed.

Justin had danced with gay abandon; concentrating only on being the hottest dancer in all of Babylon. He refused to let Brian Kinney mess with his mind until he was alone; and he needed all the tips he could get to finance his rapidly worsening medical condition.

"Are you done?" Justin asked, as Hunter finally finished lacing his sneakers.

"Not like you have a train to catch, Taylor." Hunter grumbled.

They started walking out together, and Hunter brought up Justin's request from earlier in the evening.

"Look, I'll ask around at the clinic and I'll also ask my doctor if he can do me a favour and have you checked out. Just make sure you get all your medical files and record and shit ok? And you'd probably have to pay something, though I'll try my best to wangle a deal for you."

"Thank you _so_ much Hunter…it's probably nothing, these stupid nosebleeds, but I'd rather get them…" Justin stopped walking when he noticed that Hunter wasn't with him. He frowned, turning around and saw Hunter a few feet behind him, trying hard to hide a grin.

"What the fuck Hunter, are you coming or not?"

Hunter nodded towards a black jeep that was parked across the road. Brian was leaning against it, cigarette in hand. He had clearly been watching the two of them exit the club and his eyes met Justin's. Brian raised an eyebrow, and exhaled a plume of smoke.

"Somehow," Hunter said grinning openly now, "I don't think I'm the one who'll be _cuming_ tonight. I don't know how you did it Taylor, but I'll be expecting all the messy details tomorrow."

Justin couldn't take his eyes off Brian even as he mumbled to Hunter before crossing the road.

"Hey."

Brian answered him by grabbing him by the waist and kissing him deeply until Justin started to lose feeling in his legs; all his energy was centering on one particular organ in his body. When Brian finally broke the kiss, Justin was practically on top of him.

"I'm looking for a hot young kid who lives in a hovel. Know anyone who fits the description?"

Justin reached forward to kiss Brian, but Brian smirked, and moved his head back.

"Get in, Sunshine. I think it's time I filled you up some more."


	6. Chapter 6

Justin peered at the different bottles, wondering which one he should get.

"Sir, this really _is_ the best for anxiety and troubled sleep."

Justin smiled ruefully at the sales girl. "That bottle is way too expensive for me. Do you have anything at all that's cheaper?"

"Hmmm…we have something for general anxiety as well, which is cheaper. But since you said yours is specifically related to sleep…you know, this same bottle comes in a smaller size. It's actually meant as a travel pack. Why don't you try that, and if it works for you, then maybe investing in the bigger bottle will make sense for you?"

"Great. I'll try that. Can you keep it at the counter? I'll look around just a little bit more."

The sales girl smiled at him and went to look for the smaller size.

Justin sighed, and looked at the bottles on display once more. He was at a small, vegan store called 'Panacea' that carried alternative medicines that Daphne had recommended once. Everything was herbal and natural, but what drew Justin here was the fact that he didn't need a prescription. He was determined to get some kind of medicine that would at least ease his sleeping, if not the nosebleeds.

Justin cringed as he remembered the scene at Brian's loft that morning. The previous night had been nothing short magical. He had been thrilled to find Brian waiting for him outside of Babylon, and the night had only improved exponentially from that point onwards. Brian had quite literally fucked him into the mattress, and the only thing Justin had felt was ever increasing degrees of ecstasy.

He had gone to sleep dreaming about how lucky he was to get another chance at being with Brian; and how awesome it was that he was actually getting to sleepover at Brian's place. Unfortunately, those were not the dreams he had woken up with. In fact, he didn't wake up to any dreams; only another terrifying nightmare.

That strange, dark presence had been back, except this time it was inside Justin's head as opposed to Brian's loft. He felt like it was trying to tell Justin something, but Justin just couldn't understand what. And inside his nightmare, Justin had felt the dark entity seep into his body, into his arms and legs, making its way upwards, and Justin had been certain that he was being taken over by life form. He had thrashed about, trying to shake himself free of the presence, but when he felt it continuously creep upwards, he had felt terror and despair take over. That's when the blood curdling scream escaped from deep within his throat.

Justin had woken up screaming, soaked in sweat and blood trickling down his nose to a clearly rattled Brian who was shaking him awake. Brian had rubbed his back (much like he had with Gus) and had kept one hand on Justin's stomach while gently telling him to breathe on Brian's count. The nosebleed had gone ignored.

When Justin had managed to finally regulate his breathing, Brian had helped him into the bathroom and watched as Justin had stumbled into the shower, letting the warm water calm him down. Justin had been absolutely mortified. This was _not _how he had wanted the morning to go.

When Justin had eventually stepped out of the shower, Brian had left the bathroom, and Justin found that he changed into a new suit. Brian was clearly worried, but Justin had been adamant about not needing to see a doctor and that Brian head to work without further ado. As it was, Brian was running late. He had made it sound as if he got such violent nightmares only once in a blue moon, and insisted that it was nothing to worry about. Still, Brian had insisted that Justin get some rest and left instructions on how to lock up the loft whenever Justin eventually decided to leave.

Presumably getting his number from Lindsay, Brian had called at noon to find out how he was doing, Justin had been all breezy and cheerful, and touched that Brian had been concerned enough to call. That still didn't change the fact that he must have come off as a total loon.

The one thing Justin feared most now was sleep, so he didn't even attempt to rest. Instead, he had called Daphne and asked her to come to Brian's loft. After giving her a much sanitized version of events, he sent her off to the drycleaners with the bloodied sheets and Brian's suit. There was no way that Justin was going to leave without cleaning up the mess he had made. Once Daphne had come back with clean sheets and a clean suit, Justin had gone back home and showered once more before winding up at Panacea.

He winced as he thought of the money he had had to pay for the dry cleaning. Damn Italian suit and Egyptian cotton…and one hour service on top of that. Justin sighed. He was going to be broke before the month was up.

Brian must be surely thinking that Justin was a certified head case, and Justin was fairly certain that this would be the last time that he was ever taken to the loft again. Justin could almost cry in frustration. _How_ could his body fail him like this? He must seem like such a baby; no fucking way that Brian Kinney of all men would want anything to do with him after this.

"Justin, I didn't know you shopped here."

He turned at the sound of Ben's voice.

"Hey, Ben. Are you here with Michael?"

"Nope, though I will be catching up with him later. Are you just looking around?"

Ben had clearly done his shopping; the small shopping basket was neatly stacked with bottles of vitamin, and some organic products.

"Kind of…just having a final look before paying."

Ben walked with Justin up to the counter, and didn't comment at all on Justin's purchase, and if he noticed the sales girl babbling to Justin about anxiety and insomnia and herbal teas that could also help, he certainly didn't let on.

"Are you working at Babylon tonight?" They had just stepped outside.

"I was supposed the, but Sap called a couple of hours ago wanting to know if I could work on Sunday instead and take today off, so I said ok."

Ben smiled. "That's great! Debbie is hosting a dinner tonight, Vic – her brother – it's his birthday. It's nothing formal, just the guys you've already met. You should join us."

"Really? I don't even know Vic…"

"It's fine! Debbie would love to have you over, and Vic's a sweetheart. Are you on your way home now? Because if you are, I can just ask Michael and Emmett to pick you up when they head to Debbie's place. Or if you don't have plans, you can come over to my place and help me make vegan brownies and some baked tofu to take to Debbie's."

Justin contemplated cooking with Ben to the possibility of potentially falling asleep at his apartment and waking up bloody and screaming, or perhaps waking up as a person wholly different from Justin Taylor. It was no contest.

"I'd love to try my hand at vegan brownies!"

Justin ended up having a relaxing time at Ben's. He helped Ben with the first batch of brownies, and then did the second batch on his own while Ben baked the tofu. Justin didn't want to turn up completely empty handed to a birthday dinner for a man that he hadn't even met, so when Ben went to have a shower, Justin sat on the sofa and sketched something for Vic. He even managed to accidentally fall asleep on Ben's couch and sleep undisturbed, perhaps for about an hour, until Ben woke him up saying that it was time to go.

Maybe that was the trick; to take small, short naps instead of sleeping for several hours at a stretch.

Before they left, Ben handed Justin something.

"I had this box of tea, it helps relax you and since you're having trouble sleeping, I think you should try it. I've tried it and it's really good, but I don't use it anymore. Why don't you take it with you?"

Justin didn't bother arguing with Ben, and instead gratefully accepted the tea.

Ben and Justin were the first people to turn up, which suited Justin well because it gave him some time to quietly get to know Vic (who was apparently referred to as Uncle Vic). Justin gave Uncle Vic the sketch he had done now itself, before it became either a spectacle in front of everyone, or ended up looking like a poor country cousin compared to things everyone else turned up with. As Ben predicted, Debbie was indeed delighted to see Justin, and she gushed over his drawing along with Uncle Vic, before demanding that Justin help her in the kitchen.

Ted was the next to arrive, followed by Melanie and Lindsay, Gus in tow. Justin found himself having a good time. He liked these people.

It was an hour before Brian, Emmett and Michael walked in.

"Well, finally, you grace us with your presence. How long did you think we could wait before we started dinner?" Debbie was glaring at them, and they all declined to answer her.

All three men went to wish Uncle Vic, and Justin wondered how long it would be before Brian noticed him. As it turned out, Brian noticed him almost immediately, and raised an eyebrow at him, which Justin presumed was a greeting of sorts. But he didn't get a chance to talk to Brian, because first Emmett swooped in on him, and then Debbie asked both Justin and Emmett to help set the table.

When they finally sat down for dinner, Justin found himself sandwiched between Emmett and Uncle Vic, and Brian was a good distance across the table. I suppose I'll have to wait until dinner is over, he thought.

"Well, what took you three so long to drag your asses here? I bet Brian was too busy screwing someone to pick you up on time."

Brian glared at Debbie. "Hey, don't blame for all the world's ills. Honeycutt took longer to get dressed than a girl going to her prom."

"I did _not_! Besides, what would you know about proms and girls? I bet you didn't even go for your prom."

"Oh he did!" Michael was giggling. "And he spiked the punch bowl and _everyone _got drunk! It was such a riot…but you didn't take anyone, did you Brian?"

"As if." Brian snorted.

"I remember my prom," Lindsay said. "I had this beautiful violet dress, and I dreamed of asking Glenda Evans…but ended up going with her brother Harry instead."

The whole table burst out laughing.

"Well, I'm sure times have changed since then. What about your prom, Justin? Did you take a nice young man to the ultimate high school dance?" Vic turned and looked at him and Justin felt suddenly very uncomfortable, noting that the whole table was waiting for his answer.

"I didn't go to my prom. It's just a bunch of straight kids looking to get high and get laid, and I didn't need a prom to do either."

"Oh but Sunshine, _everyone _goes to their prom! It's a…it's a…what do you call it?"

"Rite of passage?" Vic supplied.

"That's it! It's a rite of passage. Didn't your mother try and convince you?"

"I hear that not listening to your mother is also a rite of passage. I think poor Mikey missed out on that one though."

As the whole table laughed, Justin was grateful for Brian's deft change of topic. He glanced at Brian, but the other man was too busy teasing Michael to look at Justin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was after dinner and Justin had helped clear the table. He had insisted that he load the dishwasher so that Debbie would leave him in the kitchen. Truth was Justin wanted a few minutes to himself. Justin couldn't believe that he had enjoyed himself so much. And because of that, Justin realized that every minute that passed by made him more anxious about eventually having to fall asleep. He looked at his wristwatch. The time was nine forty five. Justin stared at the hands on the dial, wondering how he could turn time backwards, so that he wouldn't have to sleep. And as he stared at his wristwatch, Justin saw the unthinkable happen. The hands on the dial moved backwards…a minute, then another…

_WHAT THE FUCK?_

He jumped when he heard Brian's voice.

"I'm disappointed Sunshine. You made brownies and none of them are laced with anything."

Justin turned, and saw that Brian seemed to be trying not to smile.

"How are you feeling?"

Justin willed his heart beat to slow down.

"I…I'm fine. It was just a dre – nightmare. Not like I'm sick or anything." Justin smiled brightly at Brian, and his eyes were practically glowing.

"How come you're not at Babylon tonight?"

"Sap wanted me to swap shifts. I have to work this Sunday instead."

"Sunday's a slow night."

"So I've heard."

"Are you looking for other jobs?"

Justin looked at Brian in surprise. "Not really..."

Brian arched an eyebrow. "So you're serious about dancing on tables?"

Justin sighed. "I'm serious about financing my education."

"Get a student loan."

"My father earns too much…do you think I haven't tried?"

"You're going to turn into one of Sap's boys if you're not careful."

"I'll be careful."

"Mmmm hmmm. I doubt that you could prevent it…and who the fuck told you to clean the sheets?" There was less than three feet between them, and Justin felt the rest of world dissolve as Brian came into sharp focus.

"I just thought…"

Less than two feet.

"If you want to play the French maid, I have _just_ the costume for you…"

Justin wasn't sure whether he first leaned into Brian or whether Brian's hand wormed its way around his head first, but before he knew it, Brian's tongue was pushing its way deep inside his mouth, and Justin barely felt himself being pushed against the counter.

To Justin, being with Brian was like nuclear fusion. It was two separate nuclei suddenly welding together to make one massive nuclei in a hail of energy. He had no concept of space or time or location; only that Brian was kissing him and he was kissing Brian back and…

"Jesus Christ, this is _not _the backroom of Babylon! I'm so glad I'm seeing this _after_ dinner."

Brian pulled away from Justin, and Justin noticed Ted standing there, shaking his head. Justin contemplated killing Ted, and wondered if they could go back to the kissing if he managed to stuff Ted under the table.

Unfortunately, Brian moved away from him further as Melanie joined Ted.

"What are the three of you doing? Emmett is waiting for all of you, as is Uncle Vic. So can we please hurry the fuck up?" She looked at all of them, taking in the scene, and started shaking her head as well, keeping the beat with Ted.

Brian rolled his eyes. "Come, Emmett is waiting for us." He sauntered past Ted and Melanie, and Justin, turning scarlet, followed suit.

Fortunately, no one paid much attention to their entry, mainly because Emmett was holding centre stage.

Justin glanced at his wristwatch again, but it seemed to be working just fine. He looked at the clock on the mantle, and the time was identical. _Had he just imagined the whole thing?_

He shook his head and tried to concentrate on Emmett, who was talking.

"So, I think we should have some fun with this awesome after-dinner toy I brought …"

Emmett glared, noticing everyone's faces. "Oh, get your filthy minds out of the gutter! It isn't _that _kind of toy. It's a Ouija board! Now, who wants to play?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: A huge thank you to **Xrifree** for her helpful comments and suggestions.

* * *

When in doubt, remain silent. That's what Justin decided to do. Something deep inside him told that fooling around with a Ouija board was not good for his health. Justin couldn't explain his sense of foreboding – he and Daphne had played with Ouija boards several times without any ill effects. In fact, as far as he could recall, they didn't have _any _effects, just one of them teasing the other. He certainly wasn't going to be the seventeen year old baby who was too scared to sit around a table asking questions in the dark. He smiled and nodded and told Emmett to count him in, and stood quietly in a corner, listening to the others talk.

But Justin missed most of the ensuing conversation, because as soon as he told Emmett to count him in, he felt the onset of a nosebleed. He didn't bother excusing himself, but he quickly and quietly covered his nose with his hand and made it to the bathroom unnoticed. Just like at Lindsay's, the blood flow was heavy and it took over five minutes to stop it and by the time Justin washed his face and cleaned himself up, he had spent a good ten minutes in the bathroom. On his way back, Justin noticed that his wristwatch, the clock on the microwave and the clock on the mantle had the exact same time, down to the second. _Weird. _

By the time Justin entered the living room, Debbie, Vic, Lindsay and Gus had all disappeared, presumably upstairs to watch TV in Debbie's room. Brian and Ben were moving the couch to a side, and Melanie was clearing some ornaments off a small table, which she then placed in the middle of the room. Emmett placed the Ouija board on it, and Ted had brought pen and paper from somewhere. The lights had been switched off and Michael was lighting a candle. He looked the way Justin felt.

Everyone was talking, but Justin could barely hear them. There was a dim ringing in his ears, and he felt slightly lightheaded. _Must be that goddamn nosebleed. _Justin shook his head. He wasn't some sissy afraid of a harmless party game, and he wasn't some shrinking violet who fainted at the sight of blood. He _had _to get a hold of himself.

Soon, they were all seated around the table. Justin found himself sandwiched between Melanie and Michael. _Damn. _He had hoped to be close to Brian. It had been agreed that Emmett would act as the medium, and Ted would try and write down the letters, if they needed someone to do that. Justin had managed to catch Brian's eye just once, and he had winked at Justin. That had helped Justin relax a hell of a lot, though he was pretty sure that Brian's intention had been something else altogether.

Before they officially 'started', Emmett made them all hold hands, and very solemnly chant 'let there be no evil forces or demons.'

A voice inside his head mused whether that would be nearly enough to keep such forces at bay. He really didn't know what was wrong with him or why he had such a sense of doom.

They moved the planchette around a couple of times, just to warm up. Then Emmett started.

"Is there a spirit in the room that would like to speak to us?"

For the first ten minutes, Emmett must have asked that question two or three times, but there was no response. When he asked it for the fourth time, the planchette move slowly to 'yes'. Emmett seemed the most excited and Michael seemed the most scared.

"Thank you for coming forward. Can you tell us your name?"

The planchette moved painfully slowly across the alphabet.

N – A – T – A – L – I – E – W – O – O – D

"_Brian!" _Emmett turned pink. "If you're not serious, you can just leave and the rest of us will continue."

Justin couldn't help but grin at Brian, and Brian tried hard to stifle his laughter.

"Ok, ok, relax, will you? I promise to behave. Why don't you try again?"

Justin looked at Brian, and he was fairly certain that what Brian meant by 'behave' was quite different to Emmett's definition.

"We're going to have to start all over again. Brian, you are _such _a total dick."

"Aw, Em, come one, admit it, I had you there. Now, if you insist, we'll all hold hands and try again."

"We didn't break the circle. I don't think we need to start from the very beginning." Justin was feeling lightheaded again and wanted this over as soon as possible.

Suddenly, the planchette moved rapidly across the board, darting from letter to letter. Ted read it out loud, but Justin didn't need Ted's assistance.

He could hear a deep, baritone voice speak, almost arrogantly.

"I have been expecting you, Justin Taylor."

Justin looked around the room, but he found the movement painful. No one was speaking, and by the expression on their faces, it was apparent that none of them could hear anything. His limbs were starting to feel stiff and he felt like someone was strapping a straitjacket over him.

"Ok, which one of you did that?" Justin couldn't keep the edge out of his voice.

The planchette moved slower this time and Justin could still hear the voice.

"Joshua."

Emmett was glaring at Brian. "Who the fuck is Joshua?"

Justin almost felt as if he was looking at this scene from outside of his body. He could see Brian looking worried.

"I'm not moving it, you idiot."

"Uh…guys…"

Michael was motioning towards Justin, but since Justin couldn't see how his own face had lost colour and looked like a ghost, he didn't understand why any of them looked so scared.

Justin wanted to tell them that he was ok, but he struggled to formulate any words at all. Instinct possessed Justin to question this Joshua instead of trying to reassure everyone. When he finally did manage to speak, it was barely above a whisper.

"Who are you?"

"I feel that introductions are unnecessary. However, I believe that I must apologize to you. I did not foresee what is happening to you…."

Justin was completely unable to focus on the faces that were staring at him. Somewhere, he could foggily hear Ted sputter out a few of the words Joshua had said.

_What is happening to you_

Joshua must know. He must be talking about the nightmares and the nosebleeds and the hallucinations…

"What _is_ happening to me?"

"I see no recourse for you. Relief must come from within."

"_What are you talking about?_"

"Love lost is small fare compared to that of life. You must understand, I am sorry. However, my void must be filled."

Justin dimly heard conversation in the background.

"_Honeycutt, put that goddamn board away! He's going to pass out soon!" Brian._

"_I'm trying to flip it! I can't close this thing! It's stuck!" Emmett._

"_It's fucking board! What do you mean it's stuck?" Brian._

"_Oh my god. Justin?" Michael._

"_You're not supposed to close the board without asking the spirits to leave." Melanie._

"_Spirits? The fuck is wrong with you? Put that goddamn board away NOW. Justin? Justin?" Brian._

"_I'm not sure he can hear any of us." Ted._

"_Melanie's right. Everyone just calm down and we'll see where this goes. You're just making a bad situation worse by panicking." Ben. _

"You need to help me; I don't understand." Justin truly couldn't. He was struggling to stay conscious, and he had never found it so difficult to talk in his entire life. He could barely hear himself whisper.

The planchette was moving at a dizzying pace of its own accord, and by now everyone had taken their hands off if it. Justin could hear Joshua talk, but he was struggling to make out the words. Everyone's voices were blending together and Justin couldn't make out anything clearly.

"…conserve your spirit…"

And suddenly, it was gone.

Brian and Emmett, both of whom had been struggling to move the board off the table, fell backwards when the board finally moved beneath their desperate hands effortlessly.

As Michael started dragging Justin out of the room, he felt the blood start flowing into his limbs the same instant he felt a fresh nosebleed start.

* * *

To say that everyone was shaken would be an understatement. Michael had silently helped him clean up in the bathroom; the blood flow had been even heavier, and Justin had briefly wondered if he had a large wound in his nose as opposed to suffering from a nosebleed.

Everything that Joshua had said – in fact, even the idea of who this Joshua was - Justin pushed to the back of his mind. He was in no state to be thinking about it and he'd need all his energy to pretend that he was fine once he had to go face everyone again.

When Justin and Michael came back, he noticed that Ben had made tea, and someone had switched the lights back on. Brian and Emmett were clearly drinking something stronger though.

Brian quietly walked over to Justin, his eyes asking all the questions, but Melanie spoke before Justin had taken two steps.

"Sweetie, are you ok?"

"Yup. Just a nosebleed."

"_Just a…? _Baby, what the _fuck_ just happened?" Emmett stared at him incredulously, and Justin felt bad for him.

But what could he say? _I think some strange entity is trying to take over my body when I sleep? I think that's why I get nosebleeds? I think Joshua is a real spirit who knows what's going on and maybe if I can find a Melinda Gordon I'll understand what he was trying to say?_ He had no idea how to answer anything without warranting a trip to a psychiatric ward.

So he settled for a much simpler answer. "I have no idea."

"As if the weirdoes we deal with in this life weren't enough, we had to go call freaks from the other side." Michael muttered under his breath.

"It was probably a combination of subconscious ideas and energy and some amount of psychokinesis from all of us. Spirits and ghosts and the like are all just terms used to describe phenomena that people weren't able to explain." Ben smiled at Emmett reassuringly, and continued to speak while he placed an arm around Michael.

"How about we not stress Deb or Vic or Lindsay with any of this and instead, just finish our tea and call it a night?"

Justin would have gone and hugged Ben if he could, for giving him an exit. Melanie went upstairs to call Lindsay.

Brian turned to Justin.

"You ok?"

"Uh-huh." Justin was relieved that Brian wasn't fussing, but the concern and worry in the man's eyes were evident.

Emmett joined them. "Michael's going to Ben's place tonight, Justin. You want to come and stay over at our place? We can have popcorn and –"

"He's going with me."

Justin smile could have lit up the whole room.

* * *

Brian was fast asleep, and Justin snuggled against him comfortably. His second trip to the loft had been distinctly different from his first visit. Brian hadn't fussed overtly, but Justin could tell that he was worried. So worried that it had been Justin who initiated sex, not Brian. And it hadn't been the hot and heavy put-a-porn-movie-to-shame kind of sex from the previous night, but a slower, softer, gentler act that reminded Justin of his first time.

As they lay in bed afterwards, Brian had quietly asked him if he had seen anyone after the bashing, and Justin knew that Brian had processed the events of the evening with Ben's explanation to come up with the only plausible theory that could explain things.

Justin couldn't lie to Brian, nor could he tell Brian a truth that he was not sure of himself. So all he could do was tell Brian truthfully that yes, he did see a therapist, and no, he genuinely didn't think that he was subconsciously still trying to deal with it.

He wasn't going to think about it. The only thing he was going to think about tonight while he fell asleep was Brian Kinney. Justin kept his head on Brian's chest, listening to his heart beat in a regular, rhythmic pattern. Stud of Liberty Avenue Brian may be, but there was absolutely no denying it; Justin was falling deep and hard for this man, who, beneath his I'm-too-cool-to-be-human exterior was the most amazing person Justin had ever known. There was no way he was going to let nosebleeds and spirits and hallucinations ruin it for him.


	8. Chapter 8

"_What _are you doing? And where did you get that lemon from?" Brian was frowning, as Justin sliced a lemon.

"I asked Daphne to bring some lemons…yesterday…when I was here…"

"Right. Because you do tequila shots for breakfast?" Brian was dressed to go to work, and Justin was dressed to go home. And then to the library, though Brian didn't know that. He was relieved that last night he had finally slept undisturbed, and had woken up in the morning, like a normal person, to suck Brian off.

Justin would have whipped up something for breakfast, except that Brian had absolutely no food in his kitchen. No wonder the man was so fit – even if he had wanted indulge in unnecessary eating, there was nothing _to _eat.

Justin laughed. "I don't like the taste of water. I add a dash of lemon to water to make it nicer."

"Water _has _no taste, you twat!" Brian was shaking his head, but he was smiling at the same time. I make him smile, Justin thought. He himself was beaming.

"Nonsense. Everything has a taste. I think you've had too many things in your mouth that your taste buds have become numb."

Brian gave him a withering look. "Funny. Since you seem so chirpy this morning, let's discuss what happened last night, shall we?"

"Brian…I don't know what happened…"

"And you're unable to hazard a guess?" Brian looked at him dubiously. "You heard something last night. Something none of us could hear."

Justin stared at Brian. _How could he know? _"What…how…why would you say that?"

"You were muttering last night; I couldn't hear you, but there seemed to be some kind of cadence, like a conversation…so…you were either talking to yourself, or having a conversation. Justin, what did you hear?"

"I…uh…" Justin was at a loss for words. He knew what he believed; that Joshua was a spirit or a being of some kind, and he had been trying to tell something to Justin. Something Justin hadn't yet understood. Something he knew was somehow connected to the nosebleeds and the nightmares and all that. He felt it in his gut.

But there was no way he could tell that to Brian. Brian would think that Justin was nothing short of crazy, and that was the last thing Justin wanted. As it is, Brian was on his case about selling his body and losing his integrity and self-respect; evidence of losing his mind would be the perfect way of ensuring Brian washing his hands off Justin.

"I don't know. I thought I heard a voice, but it was probably just my own thoughts…I dunno…things are just so hazy, I don't know what the fuck happened last night."

"Justin. This is serious. You _do _realize that, don't you? You were bashed just three or four months ago, and now you're having nosebleeds on an hourly basis – yes, some of us do notice you sneaking away surreptitiously – and Michael told me you actually sleepwalked your way out of your own apartment…and then we saw what happened last night."

Brian's voice dropped to an even tone, but Justin could see in his face how serious he was.

"We all know that spirits and goblins don't exist, so Ben is probably right about what it really was. You've gone from being a normal high school kid to a victim of a violent crime to a dancer at a gay bar. Are you sure you can handle what your life has become? Maybe you should start seeing your therapist again."

_Oh fuck. _Whether he told the truth or not, looks like he was going to end up on the same ward, Justin thought.

"Brian, I'm _fine. _Yes, I have nightmares sometimes, but that's natural. It isn't an everyday thing; it just so happened that when I did have nightmares, I had witnesses on both occasions. The nosebleeds are because of my sinus; they have nothing whatsoever to do with the state of my mental health. I can't explain what happened last night; but really and truly Brian, I'm fine. I do _not _need to see anyone."

Brian looked at him doubtfully. "Of course you don't. Because you lead such a perfectly normal life. What _was _I thinking?"

Justin decided to let the sarcasm pass. The subject couldn't be dropped soon enough. Justin contemplated his next question for a second before asking it out loud.

"So…what is…this…?" Justin moved his hand between himself and Brian, hoping that Brian would understand what he was asking without being dense about it.

"This? This is two people who enjoy fucking each other. Don't go getting any strange ideas into your head. We're not some couple. I don't _do _couples."

"No, no of course not. Why would I _possibly _think that?" Justin smiled at Brian angelically.

Ok, so he needed more than one plan.

* * *

The library proved to be utterly useless. Justin found nothing on Ouija boards or séances that he didn't already know, and hours of pouring over the subject matter on the internet proved equally useless. And there was so much gibberish on spirits and voices from the other side, but nothing really stood out to Justin.

When he was babysitting Gus, he managed to call his grandmother, and tried to discreetly find out about any relatives he may have had called Joshua, but that proved to be an exercise as fruitless as the library and internet had proved to be.

He had written down everything he remembered Joshua saying, but he couldn't make anymore senses of it now than when he had first heard it.

Justin sighed. At least he had managed to get Brian to drop the subject…the last thing he had wanted Brian to think was that he was some kid who had lost some of his marbles, but all roads seemed to lead to that conclusion.

The thing was, Justin would have gladly gone to a therapist (money situation permitting) had he truly believed that he needed one. But Justin was sure that something _very _strange was going on, and it was going on very much outside of his own head.

Even if everything that had happened – Joshua's voice, the planchette moving, the nightmares, the nosebleeds - even if all that was inside his head, there was still the first nightmare. Justin thought about it. He couldn't have sleepwalked his way out of his apartment, got his sneakers muddied, stained his jeans, dirtied his hands, and then sleepwalked his way back inside his apartment only to sleepwalk right back out. It made no sense. That left the possibility that he was suffering from memory loss. At least that meant that some that had actually happened which he couldn't remember.

Theoretically, Justin knew that it _could _be all inside his head. But he was going to go with his gut instinct, which was that it there was some strange, supernatural element involved; an element he was nowhere near understanding.

One more thing bothered him. The episode with the Ouija board had scared him and shaken him completely, but he had slept like a baby that night, not disturbed by a single nightmare. Yet on other perfectly ordinary days, he had woken up screaming, or in a cold sweat, or both. _Why was that?_

He looked at Gus, who was still fast asleep, and then looked at his notebook.

_I have been expecting you, Justin Taylor_

_I feel that introductions are unnecessary_

_However, I believe that I must apologize to you. I did not foresee what is happening to you_

_I see no recourse for you_

_Relief must come from within_

_Love lost is small fare compared to that of life _

_You must understand, I am sorry _

_However, my void must be filled_

_Conserve your spirit_

Whichever way he looked at the sentences, he could make no sense of the sentences. They had to mean something. Even in the unlikely event that his own subconscious mind had come up with Joshua and what Justin had heard, the words he heard (or thought he heard) had to hold some meaning, but he couldn't understand them at all. _Damn it._

* * *

Justin found himself at the diner on Sunday, before his shift at Babylon started. Friday night at Babylon had been packed, but he did notice that the guys were there. Hunter had also noticed that Brian eventually left with some trick.

Which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because when Justin eventually made it home that night, he had a nightmare just as bad as anything he had had so far. He had once again woken up bleeding, sweating and terrified that his body was being taken over by some being. Justin would have thought that his apartment was haunted, but seeing as how he had a similar nightmare at the loft, that theory was pretty useless.

Saturday was almost exactly the same as Friday, minus the waking up with Brian and the babysitting. The only activity of note was that Hunter had been able to twist the arm of a doctor he knew, and Justin was able to get looked at for a nominal fee (nominal to the doctor, at any rate). As he had suspected, nothing was wrong with him. Not even sinus.

Emmett's voice brought him back to earth.

"I suppose you're excited about Saturday, Brian."

Brian's eyes flicked over Justin before he answered. "Very excited. Mostly because I'll not be here, stuck in the Pitts."

The whole table looked surprised.

"Where are you going?" Michael looked at Brian curiously.

"New York. Some workshop that I'm being forced to attend, so I thought I'd go early. Enjoy a New York City weekend."

"Well, I think you picked the wrong weekend to run off to New York, Brian. You're going to miss all the fun here."

Justin didn't wait for Brian to answer Ted. "What's happening on Saturday?"

"The Annual Woody's Woody contest."

Justin stared blankly at Ted.

"Oh, you poor novice. It's the who's-got-the-biggest-dick contest at Woody's. No one actually shows their penis, but with what they have to wear, they might as well be naked. And we get to sit in judgment." Ted laughed in obvious glee.

Brian rolled his eyes at Ted, but didn't say anything. Debbie had somehow materialized at the side of the booth.

"You should go check it out Sunshine. There'll be plenty of time before you're due at Babylon. You can go with the boys."

Emmett clapped his hands. "Yes! You should definitely come with us! You can take Brian's place."

Justin smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. I'd love to join you."

Brian snickered. "Right. You're going to make it to Woody's on Saturday?"

"Yeah…Babylon is only from ten o'clock…why wouldn't I make it to Woody's?" Justin didn't understand the question and he could understand why Brian was suddenly glaring at him even less.

"You are going to Woody's on Saturday. You are _working_ on Saturday. And next Sunday? And Monday? I suppose you're going to be dancing at Babylon as well?" Brian was practically spitting out the words.

"Jesus, what the _fuck _is your problem Brian? Justin is only going to watch the contest; he's not seriously taking your place."

"Mikey, shut up."

What the fuck _was _Brian's problem?

"Not only will I be dancing at Babylon, but I'll also be babysitting your son. I don't get it Brian, what's the problem here?"

Justin was utterly confused. He was also well aware that Brian's mercury was rising. Dangerously so. Justin could not understand what he had done wrong to piss Brian off so much. Brian threw some money onto the table, and got up to leave.

Suddenly, Justin felt himself being yanked up from his arm, a movement so sudden that he ended up spilling his coffee all over the table.

"Ow, Brian that hurts!"

"Asshole! The hell is the matter with you?" Michael screamed at Brian, as coffee spread across the table.

"Shut up. All of you." Brian started dragging Justin out of the diner, and Justin barely had time to grab his bag.

"Brian, that hurts!"

"Well then, shut up and hurry up or it's going to hurt a hell of a lot more."

Brian dragged him outside the diner, almost a full block away before he stopped.

By now, Justin's temper had also risen. "The fuck is wrong with you?"

Brian glared at him. "Me? Justin. Seriously. Were you lying to the guys in there, or are you actually working next week?"

Justin sighed. "_Yes _I'm working, as I've already said at least twice before. _What _is your problem?"

"My problem? _My _problem? My _problem_ is that I had to watch Chris Hobbs bash your head in. And then I had to sit in the hospital for fuck knows how long, wondering if you were going to live or die. My _problem _is that you're having nosebleeds and who-knows-what-else because of what happened. Isn't the bashing the root cause of why you left home?

My _problem _is that I care enough to take time off work to attend – and testify – at the trial; a trial meant to punish the person who attacked _you_, while _you_ seem happy to stay here, go for some who's-got-the-biggest-dick contest and carry on with life as if nothing ever happened. _That _is my problem."

Justin stared at Brian, open mouthed. There was a _trial_? For Chris Hobbs? _Brian_ was going for the trial…and no one had bothered to even tell Justin about it…

"There's a trial…? I…I didn't know. No one told me." He asked weakly.

He vaguely registered Brian's expression softening, but it did nothing to ease the shock that came from knowing that his parents had hid this from him. Very dimly, some part of him realized that it was probably all his father; it seemed unlikely that Jennifer would know any more than Justin.

"His trial…it starts on Tuesday. They want me there on Monday, obviously to go through things…Justin, didn't your parents tell you? I'm sure Klaus – the state prosecutor - must have contacted them."

Justin shook his head mutely. "No one told me. They…I…no one told me."

"Justin –"

"It doesn't matter. I wouldn't be able to afford a thousand bucks for the ticket. Or the hotel fare. Or…"

"Listen, Justin –"

"I'm getting late for work. I have to go." Justin spun on heels and ran, and didn't bother listening to whatever it was that Brian was saying behind him.

* * *

The week had passed in a blurry haze. Well, not quite a blurry haze. Some things remained constant. Like the recurring nightmares and the nosebleeds, which had stayed pretty much the same. No amount of herbal tea helped on that front.

He had zero motivation to paint or sketch and apart from drawing to amuse Gus, he hadn't touched anything to do with art for the whole week. How could his parents not tell him? He had almost died, and the person responsible was being tried for it, and no one thought it important enough to tell him? Is this what his life had turned into?

Justin's confrontation with his parents had gone disastrously. His mother had been genuinely clueless, especially since it was his father who had handled everything from Vienna itself. His father, for his part, claimed to be ignorant, and no amount of begging, pleading or screaming from Justin had got him to change his story.

Justin didn't bother telling his father what Brian had said; what would be the point? It wouldn't induce Craig Taylor to part with any information, and would in all likelihood cause an even bigger scene.

He had been tempted to call Brian up and get more information, but then had nixed that idea. It was probably too late for Justin to do anything anyway. And even if it wasn't, he didn't have thousands of dollars to spend on airfare, hotels and the like. Plus there was his job. Two jobs. No way could he get out of those obligations, especially on such short notice.

He settled for avoiding Brian instead, which didn't seem particularly difficult, because it looked like Brian was avoiding him as well. Short nods and greetings at the diner, at Babylon or at Lindsay's had been the sum total of Justin's interactions with Brian. Oh well, Justin thought, Brian was going to get sick of me sooner or later. Who could possibly want to put up with all this drama? Coming up with a plan now seemed almost redundant.

Justin tried hard not to get depressed over everything, but was unable to find the silver lining in any of this. He couldn't get over the fact that Chris Hobbs was being tried, and he couldn't even go for the fucking trial. Fabulous. Justin _needed_ to be there, and instead, here he was, with no possible way of making it to Vienna.

And that's how he started his Friday evening, dancing at Babylon, depressed as hell. He had looked for Brian, wondering if the other man had already left, not that it would make a difference, one way or another.

"Taylor. Come on down."

Justin was surprised to see a stony faced Sap, with Brian standing behind him.

He got off the bar, and joined the men curiously. Sap spoke to him.

"You're father has suffered a heart attack. I'll find someone to cover your shifts. Go on."

"_What?" _ Justin stared at Sap, who had already left to schmooze with some other patron. He turned to Brian in shock, and noticed that Brian was smiling slightly.

"Hurry up." Brian said, as he pushed Justin towards the staff changing room. "Your poor father, all the way in Los Angeles, has suffered a terrible heart attack and needs his only son there by his side. You wouldn't want to miss your flight, do you?"

Justin blinked rapidly at Brian, and tried to find his bearings. "Brian, what the hell…"

By now, they had reached the empty room changing room, and Brian was smirking openly.

"I got you a week off. It's amazing the influence I have over this esteemed establishment. And Lindsay and Melanie send their heartfelt sympathies, and if there is anything at all you need done, just let them know."

"Brian…what on earth…"

"Will you hurry up and get dressed? Everyone thinks your father suffered a terrible heart attack, and you need to fly out to Los Angeles to be with him. Meanwhile, I've spoken to Klaus. He needs to meet with you as soon as you land in Vienna. And we need to get you suitable clothes, because I'm fairly certain that Tommy Hilfiger and French Connection doesn't constitute as appropriate courtroom wear. Are you done? Let's go."

A stunned Justin found himself being dragged out of Babylon by Brian. He found his voice only when Brian started the jeep.

"Brian, I don't get it…how -"

"In exactly two hours, we have a plane to catch. We're getting your passport from your place, picking up my stuff, and then it's straight to the airport. If we're lucky, maybe we'll find you something appropriate to wear at the duty free in Washington – that's where we have to get the connecting flight - but if we don't, you're going to have a very busy Sunday in Vienna."

Justin stared at Brian incredulously. "Brian, I cannot afford a trip Harrisburg let alone Vienna!"

"But I can."

"Brian…I can't accept…"

"Shut up and stop being such a princess. You can pay me back when you have the money. What's important now is that you are in Vienna, on time, for the trial."

Justin couldn't believe this. Brian was actually doing this? For _him_? He was actually going to go to Vienna and be part of the trial? Was this really happening?

But when he found himself in a cab, on the way to the airport, it started slowly sinking in that this really _was _happening.

"Why are you doing this?"

There was a long pause before Brian answered.

"What happened in that garage had nothing to do with you, and everything to do with Chris Hobbs. And what's happening now has everything to do with your father, not you. They're afraid. And insecure. And they did what they did because you're breaking new ground, because you're taking risks in your life and you don't care what people say. Because you're different, because you're becoming someone that maybe they don't have the guts to be themselves. Or any combination of these things. It frightens them. It frightened Chris Hobbs enough to bash your head in, and it frightens your father enough that he acts like an asshole.

You need closure. And you need to keep your integrity and stay true to yourself and not let this screw up your life. Why am I doing this? So that you'll be able to say fuck you to all of them, and become best damn homosexual you can be."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: As always, _danke schön _to **Xrifree**, who helped me make sense of a miserably confusing chapter :)

Also, thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story as well as to the silent readers and everyone who has put this on their alerts.

* * *

Justin had managed to throw a few clothes into his knapsack when they had stopped to pick up his passport. But Brian was right; none of them were suitable for a court appearance. They didn't have enough time to shop in Washington; besides which, Brian had insisted that they buy the needful in Vienna instead of being stuck for choice as well as time in Washington.

The flight to Washington had been quite blurry for Justin. Exhausted after a miserable week, and still trying to grasp the idea that he was actually going for the trial, Justin had promptly fallen asleep, despite his best intentions. It was only on the flight from Washington to Vienna that he had been fully awake and able to carry on a conversation.

Brian had explained to Justin what had happened, pieced together after he had spoken to Klaus Fruehmann, the state prosecutor. Craig was listed as Justin's guardian, since Justin was a minor. All records had only had contact information for Craig and Craig's lawyer on behalf of Justin, and Klaus had been officially informed that Justin was unable to remember exactly what had happened, and was adamant about not being part of the trial. Klaus had also received a signed affidavit to that effect apparently from Justin, which Brian and Justin had concluded was the handiwork of Craig. It was no wonder that Klaus had wanted at least Brian to be willing to testify.

Brian's call to Klaus had been a godsend. Klaus had worked round the clock to have Justin's name included on the list of witnesses at the eleventh hour, and once he confirmed that it was, it had been up to Brian to ensure that Justin made it to Vienna on time.

Justin sighed, and looked out of the window. What a fucking joke his father was. He could imagine why Craig had not wanted him to be part of the trial; the horror of having his son admit to being a homosexual and testifying against a member of the illustrious Hobbs family must have outweighed any need for seeing that justice was served.

He tried to think of what Brian had told him in the jeep. He knew Brian was right; this was about the weaknesses inherent in Hobbs and his father, not him. But still…

Justin felt Brian's hand cup his cheek, and turn his face slowly.

"Hey. Don't go there."

"I'm thinking about what you told me."

"About how you're going to become the best homosexual you can be?"

Justin was forced to smile. "About how all of this is about _their _fear and insecurity, and not me."

"You know I'm right, don't you?"

"I know you're right, but…he's my father, Brian…it's like the last the last seventeen years of my life was a lie. He doesn't love me. He never did. He'd rather protect his reputation than see the man who tried to kill me go to jail. That's just…that's just fucked up."

"Do you need his love?"

Justin blinked in confusion. "What?"

Brian was looking straight into his eyes. "Do you need his love?"

"Brian, he's my father…"

"That's irrelevant. The essence of who you are; is it dependent on his love? Your ability to be so fucking independent at seventeen; is that drawn on some strength you get from him? Well, is it?"

"Brian…" Justin felt his voice faltering.

"It isn't, is it?" Brian's voice was softer now. "You don't _need _him. Justin, you are who you are. You don't need strength or validation from any other person on this planet to be yourself. It would be nice to be loved for who you are, but that's not always going to happen. Yes, it's fucked up that your father is an asshole. It's fucked up that he is too goddamn stupid to love you. But you don't need the love of a man like that.

Fuck what society tells you. They tell you to love your parents simply because they're your parents. I say, fuck that shit. Love people who deserve to be loved. People who have earned the right to your love. Everyone else? They can go fuck themselves. Got it?"

In that moment, Justin had absolutely no doubt as to who had earned the right to _his _love. He nodded silently, and leaned over to kiss Brian, his tongue finding electric sparks the deeper it probed. By the time he came up for air, Justin's face was flushed and his voice was raspy.

"Why do you keep saving me?"

"You don't need saving, Sunshine. I'm just helping you become the best homosexual you can be. And to do that, I think we should start by inducting you into the Mile High Club."

Justin's eyes widened in anticipation as Brian pushed the armrest up, and when Brian lifted Justin up from his waist to slide underneath him, Justin gasped.

"Brian…_here?_"

Brian expertly pulled the blanket over Justin, effectively hiding their bodies from the immediate scrutiny of anyone that passed.

Justin felt Brian undoing his buckle even as he whispered into Justin's ear. "It's an eighteen-hour flight Justin…plenty of time to christen lots of places, hmmmm?"

As his body moved to the slow, sensual rhythm Brian had set, Justin felt that this might be the closest to heaven that he would ever get.

* * *

Several surprises were in store for him as soon as they landed in Vienna late Saturday evening. The first surprise was the fact that Klaus had sent someone, one Fredrick Kritz, to the airport to pick them up, and they were whisked through customs with minimal fuss. They were told that Klaus would meet them after lunch on Sunday, and were given fair warning not to plan anything for that afternoon, because there was no telling how long Klaus would take with Justin. Brian merely commented that they'd have to do the most urgent shopping on Sunday morning.

The next surprise was finding out from Fredrick that the state was picking up the tab for both his and Brian's airfare. Brian noted that it was to be expected, considering that the state's entire case would have been affidavits and grainy security camera footage if not for them.

The best surprise however, was Brian's choice in hotel.

"_Hotel Sacher? _Brian, are you serious? We're actually staying here?_"_

"I happen to recall that somebody's greatest desire in Vienna was not to visit the Schonbrunn Palace or the Museum of Fine Arts, but to eat aristocratic chocolate cake. So. Here we are. Hotel Sacher. You can eat enough Sachertorte to your heart's delight." Brian grinned at him.

Justin recollected rambling on with Brian the night that they had first met, telling Brian that what he most looked forward to in Vienna was eating Sachertorte. He couldn't believe that Brian had remembered that.

"I can't believe you even remember that…but Brian, this place must be costing you a small fortune. How on earth can we – you - afford it?"

"Ever the hausfrau, aren't you? Dollars and cents, dollars and cents. Have you ever considered just letting go, enjoying the moment?"

Justin knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he couldn't help it. He'd be willing to play hausfrau to Brian any day.

"But Brian, seriously…we don't have to stay here to eat cake…how about somewhere a bit easier on the pocket? I'll have to take up Hunter's old job to be able to pay you back."

"Relax…Cynthia managed to get an excellent rate. And I'm not even paying for the airfare. I'm not expecting you to pay me back tomorrow, Picasso. You do to Pittsburgh what Mozart did to Vienna, and then I'll collect with interest. Until then, I suggest you find better uses for your mouth. Comparing Viennese hotel rates is _not_ turning me on."

* * *

The first time it happened was when he was shopping with Brian on Mariahilfer Straße on Sunday morning. Brian had walked into a coffee shop to get himself a latte, thumbing his nose at the ice cream that Justin had bought from a street vendor. Justin was waiting outside when he noticed a little girl standing about three feet away from him. She was also eating an ice cream and holding a balloon in her other hand, while her mother was speaking on her cell phone. The girl reminded him of Molly. She looked like she had stepped out of a Disney movie, in her bright red dress and matching red sandals, pigtails tied in bright red ribbons. He looked at her lime green ice cream, and could only imagine that she picked it for the colour and not the taste. Her balloon was lime green as well. He smiled, wishing that he had his sketch pad with him, and turned to look inside the coffee shop at Brian standing in queue. Brian Kinney doesn't do couples? _Ha!_ If this is what Brian Kinney did in lieu of couples, Justin figured that he could easily live with that.

He was in a fabulous mood. Justin had woken up feeling unusually relaxed. He had gone to sleep on Saturday with the same fears that assailed him every night, but woke up in the morning suffering neither from nosebleeds nor nightmares. In fact, he hadn't had a nosebleed from the time he left Pittsburgh, which in and of itself was strange. Brian must have thought the same thing, because he ventured to remark that just being in Vienna seemed to have improved Justin's health.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion next to him and Justin turned to find the girl crying, and the mother trying to console her. That's when Justin saw that she was only clutching her ice cream, and Justin stared after the balloon, which was moving higher and higher. He felt bad for the kid, who seemed devastated. Other passers-by looked on with pity as they walked past her.

Justin felt increasingly bad for the girl, especially as he remembered Molly. He turned to stare at the balloon, only one thought foremost in his mind. That's when it happened. In what seemed to be less than two seconds, Justin found himself holding the balloon, which not a moment ago was floating towards the heavens.

Justin couldn't believe what he was seeing. He knew that the balloon had floated away; the girl _and _her mother had seen it as well. And yet, here he was, holding on to the selfsame balloon while there was not so much as a bird up above them. In a daze, Justin knelt before the crying child and gave her the balloon.

That's how Brian found Justin less than a minute later; smiling as both mother and daughter spoke to him in incredulous German, not a word of which Justin or Brian understood.

"Justin."

Justin didn't realize that anything was wrong until Brian dabbed his face with a handkerchief. There were a few speckles of blood, though it was nothing close to a nosebleed. Brian didn't say anything, but he smiled at the girl and her mother while putting his free arm around Justin shoulders and steering him forward.

"Danke! Wiedersehen!" the girl called behind them.

"You bought her a balloon?"

"Something like that."

That balloon had been on its way up; the girl and her mother's expressions said as much, even if Justin had doubted his own eyes. Still…he had somehow got it back down, in less than a second…

* * *

Justin was impressed with Klaus. The Austrian had been friendly and understanding and thoroughly professional. Everything had been prepared for both Brian and Justin. Klaus had even arranged for an interpreter, though this was not the trial. He insisted that this way, nothing would be missed and that he could make sure that everyone used the rights words and terms and nothing would get lost in translation.

Perhaps to put Justin at ease, Klaus went through Brian's testimony first. It didn't take nearly as long as Justin had thought it would, since Klaus and Brian had been in touch regularly.

Justin was glad for all the activity in the morning, because it meant that he was too distracted to be a nervous wreck. Brian was here, and after all the drama of the previous week, Justin was determined to be strong and not to breakdown. Besides, this was a dress rehearsal for the trial, and Justin wanted to be strong; not a nervous, crying wimp.

By the time Klaus was done with Justin, it had taken over three hours. Justin had been calm, he had got angry, and he had been sad and even tearful in turn. Brian had sat beside him, holding his hand, throughout all of it.

On the bright side, Klaus was happy with how things went with both Brian and Justin. He also said that he didn't want to overwhelm and tire Justin out, so he cancelled the meeting that was scheduled for Monday. Instead, he made arrangements for Fredrick to meet them on Monday evening at the hotel, to go through each of their testimony in preparation for Tuesday.

* * *

Justin could hear Brian on the phone in the balcony, giving instructions to Cynthia, over some issue at Vanguard.

His thoughts drifted to Hobbs, but Justin didn't want to think about Hobbs any more for the day. Brian was right; the bashing _did _say more about Hobbs than it did about Justin. Moreover, Justin was here, testifying against Hobbs. Beyond that, there wasn't anything else that he could do.

Justin sighed, and thought about the little girl and her balloon, and how it had found its way back to Justin. He suddenly remembered the clocks in Debbie's house.

There was no denying it; he had made it happen. He wasn't sure how or why, but it _had _to be him.

On a hunch, Justin grabbed some tissue and leaned back on the bed, deep in thought, staring at the TV. The instant he narrowed his eyes, the TV switched itself on, tuned to National Geographic, just as he had thought. He blinked and the TV switched itself off. As he suspected, he had to wipe away a few drops of blood.

Justin tried the same thing once more with a different channel before he slowly climbed out of bed. He could vaguely hear Brian in the background, talking about visuals and briefs.

He walked to the bathroom and stood at the door. He thought, staring at the bathtub intently. Justin saw the faucets turn, water gushing into the tub. _A little more hot water, now cold, now hot, now cold, now hot…_

"What are you doing?"

Justin spun around to find Brian make his way towards Justin and his mind went blank for a second. _Shit! The water! _He quickly looked at the tub as three dozen excuses swamped his brain. In his confusion, the faucets wouldn't close.

"Justin?" Brian walked past Justin, frowning as he saw the water running. "Were you trying to run a bath?"

Justin was at a loss as to what to say. Brian's frown deepened as he realized that the drain hadn't been plugged. He turned the faucets off and grabbed some tissue, wiping Justin's face where a few more drops of blood had made their presence known.

"Justin? Sunshine?"

"I'm...I'm ok, I wasn't thinking..."

"Do you want to run a bath?" Brian was looking at him, trying to hide his frown, but the concern was evident.

"No...I should just wash my face."

"Why don't you have a shower? I'm going to order some room service for us, and then I'll join you, ok? A quiet evening is probably better for both of us."

Justin smiled and kissed Brian before he removed his clothes and stepped into the shower.

As he stood underneath the shower, Justin managed to switch the faucets on AND off without using his hands. _Maybe it just didn't work when he panicked?_

He shook his head, reminding himself that Brian would be joining him any moment now. Justin was totally overwhelmed by this side of Brian, a side that was seemingly hidden to everyone else except Gus.

How could he _not_ be in love with the man?


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Without **Xrifree**, this story would really be a jumble of meaningless sentences. Thanks for all your help :)

And for everyone who is still with this story, a huge thanks to you as well!

* * *

As Monday progressed, Justin was fairly certain that it was the best day of his life.

After a quiet Sunday night, Brian had declared on Monday that they enjoy Vienna the way Vienna was meant to be enjoyed. Justin knew that Brian was more worried about him than was necessary, but there was no plausible means of putting Brian's fears to rest.

What could he say - _no, don't worry, that thing in the bathroom was totally not about the bashing; it was just me trying to see if I could move objects by just thinking about it?_

So Justin didn't bother contradicting Brian, but he strived hard to let Brain know that he truly was all right. It also helped that he had a chance to speak to Daphne in the morning. She had almost gone crazy when Justin told her where he was and why he was there and they had a rather interesting, if short, conversation.

Before leaving the hotel, Brian and Justin made a list of places they wanted to see in Vienna, in order of importance. They turned into proper tourists for the whole day, soaking in the sights, enjoying each other's company (and occasionally, that of a willing English-speaking male).

Much to his surprise, one of the first places Brian chose to stop at was a stationary shop.

"It's embarrassing, watching you draw on napkins and tourist brochures. Trust you to bring a sketch book that had only two pages left. People must be thinking that I'm stingy, not that you're an absent minded twat." Brian grumbled.

Justin laughed. "Since when did you start bothering about what people thought of you?" He was rewarded by a glare from Brian. Justin couldn't help grinning. Brian was taking such prodigious care of him, and Brian probably didn't even realize it half the time.

Despite Brian's strenuous objections, Justin managed to buy a cheap, made-for-forgetful-tourists camera, insisting that they wouldn't be proper tourists without one. Brian looked at the contraption disdainfully.

"I hope you don't expect me take any pictureswith that…that thing. And I'm certainly not going to be posing with you like some lovelorn fool for strangers to snap pictures of."

Justin smiled sweetly at Brian. "Of course not. Brian Kinney doesn't do couples, especially the lovelorn variety. Strangers will snap pictures of me…and who knows, maybe you'll feature in the background of a few." justin had plenty of plans for photographs, and what Brian didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

There was something else Brian didn't know, and that was how Justin surreptitiously practiced his new found skill throughout the day. He wasn't merely playing with it; Justin wanted to have control of his abilities, and his own body. He did _not _want a repeat performance of the bathroom scene again.

Justin worked on moving little things as well as larger objects, but what he concentrated most on was being able to do it without getting a nosebleed. By the afternoon, Justin had finally mastered it. With the right amount of concentration, speed and pressure, he could do it sans the bleeding.

But the most important question – that of the origin of his telekinetic ability – Justin was completely at a loss to answer. Had he always had it, and it had just been latent? He couldn't recall anything from his childhood to indicate that that was the case. Had it come from Joshua, whoever he was? Or was Joshua a figment of Justin's imagination? It was very possible that Justin had moved the planchette himself, just like the balloon and the television and the faucet and three dozen things since then. Justin also wasn't oblivious to the fact that he had had zero nightmares since he had left Pittsburgh.

Still…a voice inside him told not to dismiss the idea of Joshua so easily.

* * *

_Tuesday _

Justin watched as Klaus questioned the doctor who had treated him. Justin didn't understand a word of it, though Klaus had explained the content to himself and Brian during their meeting. Brian had asked him if he had wanted to sit through the trial, and Justin had said yes, because for some perverse reason, he felt that he was_ supposed_ to sit through the whole thing. He wasn't sure that Brian wanted to be there, though.

Justin didn't know how, but he had managed to get through his own testimony without completely breaking down. Perhaps it was the knowledge that Chris Hobbs was hopefully going to get what he deserved. Or it could have been because _he _was doing whatever was within his capacity to do, and that made it easier to let go of what had happened. It could also be that, as Daphne had suggested earlier, he had fervently concentrated on the better parts of what had happened that night; namely, meeting Brian. Had any good come out of the bashing? If Chris Hobbs hadn't done what he did, would Justin still share what he had now with Brian? 'What if' was not a road Justin particularly wanted to walk down, and yet, if he wanted to find a way to make sense of what had happened, it seemed that he had to compare 'what if' with the ground reality today.

Unconsciously, Justin leaned into Brian, who was seated next to him. As Brian gently patted his knee, a slow understanding dawned on Justin. He had never realized – he had never even thought - how this whole ordeal had affected anybody but himself. But when he had watched Brian on the stand, and seen how much Brian was struggling to stay in control of himself and remain the consummate professional, it had struck Justin that this wasn't just about him. Others had also been affected by what had happened. _Brian_ had been affected by it. How could you just watch somebody get hit on the head and walk away from it _without_ being affected? How did you hold someone bleeding in your arms, not knowing whether they were going to live or die? A matter of their life or death hinging on whether you had called for help in time; on whether you had moved their body just enough or unfortunately too much?

Being the guy that lay bleeding was no walk in the clouds, but having to be the one who had to deal with the immediate aftermath, watching someone - even if he were a veritable stranger – almost die, as Brian had had to do, that was almost as bad.

Justin glanced at Brian, who was looking at Hobbs. This trip, this trial; it wasn't just about Justin. It was about _both _of them. It was about both himself and Brian, dealing with what had happened and trying to put it behind them. It was about them, together, making Vienna what it should be, instead of the blood-soaked mess that Hobbs had made it.

This trial and in a bigger sense, this whole trip…it wasn't just about closure or justice. It was a kind of catharsis.

Justin covered Brian's hand with his own, squeezing tightly. His own gaze followed Brian's onto Chris Hobbs, who was seated ahead of them, in the next aisle. Justin felt a sudden surge of white hot anger, and an incredible need for retribution ran through his veins. _Why did they have to be the only ones to suffer and have to deal with the aftermath? Maybe justice should be short and swift…_

He looked at the back of Hobbs' chair and the gap between it and the railing behind. Justin stared, all the fury of the past building into a maelstrom inside him. Saner voices inside his head were begging to be heard, but Justin was lost, unable to connect with the reality around him.

_I could do exactly what he did. I could end this. I could end all of this right now…_

In the exact instant Justin blinked, the defense attorney leaned forward to speak to Hobbs, holding him by the arm. Hobbs' chair snapped underneath him, sending him toppling backwards, his head grazing the railing on its way down.

Any injury to Hobbs – fatal or otherwise – was prevented only by the unforeseen intervention of the defense attorney.

"What the fuck…" Brian's voice registered in the periphery.

They both stared as guards rushed to where Hobbs lay, sprawled on the ground. Justin's eyes met Hobbs' for a second.

_What the fuck did I almost do? _

The realization zapped Justin out of his trance-like state. Justin looked at Brian's hand, still ensconced underneath his own. Events of the last few days rushed through his mind. He had people who cared about him. He was moving forward with life. He was madly in love with a man who undoubtedly cared a great deal for him, at the very least. And what was he doing?

He could probably bring this whole building down if he thought about it hard enough. _He could probably kill Hobbs if he thought about it hard enough. He had almost done just that._

He was turning into Hobbs himself; turning into his father. Exerting whatever power he had over others to satiate his most base desires; manipulating people and situations as his own father did. This wasn't right. This wasn't _him. _Brian's words came back to him.

_You need to keep your integrity and stay true to yourself_

This power; it wasn't his to wield. Wherever it had come from, he had to leave it alone. He had to deal with life using what resources he had within himself. He looked at Brian. _And it isn't just my own strength I have._

"Brian, I don't think I need to see anything more of this trial. If you want to leave, I'd be happy to."

The rest of their stay in Austria was spent touring, travelling and enjoying themselves thoroughly; neither of them ever stepped back inside that courtroom again.

* * *

Justin turned into Brian's chest, listening to the other man's heartbeat. It was their last night in Vienna before they flew back to Pittsburgh. Without a shadow of a doubt, this had been the best time of his life. Klaus' jubilant phone call a few hours earlier, letting them know of the guilty verdict for Hobbs had merely been icing on the cake.

Vienna truly was the city that he had become a man in. He lost his virginity here, he met the man of his dreams here and he almost died here. He had also found out the depths of his nature and come to terms with, he had learnt to accept the bad with the good, he had learnt to look at the beast and walk away; he had also learnt what it was like to be loved by Brian Kinney.

Because Brian _did _love him; Justin was fairly certain of it. Brian hadn't said anything – in all likelihood he never would – but Justin had heard what Brian didn't say. In Brian's silence, Justin had heard more than words could ever say. Through Brian's actions, he understood. He understood that Brian had taken an enormous step towards him; that he had chosen, out of his volition, to do everything he had done for Justin in the last few days. As much as this trip had been necessary for Brian to deal with what had happened, Brian hadn't needed Justin by his side for it. Bringing Justin here had been solely for Justin's own sake, and the altruism of that action wasn't lost on him.

Justin was also no fool; in Vienna, they may have been like two intertwined souls walking about in dreamland, but he knew that the minute the plane started taxiing into Pittsburgh everything would change. The mask and armour would come up, the aloofness, the nonchalant dismissiveness and the endless stream of tricks would all become a routine part of Brian Kinney's day.

Justin knew that he would have to be strong. He would have to listen for the things that weren't said, retain the memories of what they had shared, and be patient till the time that Brian would realize what Justin already did.

* * *

_Back in Pittsburgh_

"I'm guessing your father's better now?"

Justin mumbled a reply to Hunter, as the two of them got dressed to leave Babylon. His first night back had been incredibly busy and they hadn't had any time for personal conversation.

Justin felt rested and relaxed after Vienna. They had landed early in the morning and Brian had had to go to work; something Justin only had to do in the afternoon when it was time to babysit Gus. He hadn't felt sleepy at all. Refreshed and rejuvenated, Justin had chosen to complete the much-delayed painting that he had picked up from Mrs. Bates' attic. He had further refined the image of Brian, and completed the violinist as well as painting over the entire background to give it more life, definition and colour.

The nosebleeds unfortunately made a strong comeback, and Justin had noticed a strange disquiet in the apartment as he painted. He knew by now that these were not mere feelings, and everything had a deeper significance, but Justin was in too good a mood to think about it. He concentrated on finishing the painting, and managed to make it to Lindsay's place just in time for the babysitting.

Gus had been delighted to see Justin, and Lindsay mentioned that the boy seemed to have sorely missed his babysitter. Lindsay didn't mention how Justin and Brian had disappeared at exactly the same time and arrived on the exact same day, but given her look and subtle comments, Justin figured that she was wondering about it. Oh well, he thought, I'm fine with playing along to whatever story Brian's already given.

After he was done at Lindsay's, Justin went over to Daphne's, where the two of them recapped the entire trip (minus his telekinetic ability) before he managed to catch a few winks before Babylon. It was a dreamless sleep, but Justin woke up with the same feeling of disquiet that he had felt in his apartment.

_Something is going to happen soon. I can just feel it._

He didn't dwell on it though, when he was at Babylon. He spoke to Michael and Emmett, and from his vantage point, he noticed that Brian was holding fort on both the dance floor as well as the backroom. Justin smiled to himself. _The world doesn't know what I know._

That smile almost blinded Hunter later on in the evening, when Brian came over to Justin to issue a simple command.

"I'm leaving now. Come to the loft when you're done."

Beaming brighter than a thousand suns, Justin nodded.

"You and your stupid fucking dancing job." Brian muttered, as he walked away.

* * *

"Can you imagine the amount of time and money you'd save if you'd just invest in a coffeemaker? Or even an espresso machine?" Justin sat on the sofa sketching while Brian was getting dressed. He had woken up with the same strange feeling as he had at Daphne's, and had suffered from a nosebleed a short while later. Luckily, Brian hadn't witnessed it.

"I already_ have_ an espresso machine. I simply choose to contribute towards keeping the Liberty Diner in business."

Justin continued, ignoring Brian's comment. "Plus, too much coffee causes impotence. At your age, you really should be concerned about your– _OW!" _Justin glared first at the pillow that had collided with his head, and then at Brian.

"The fish die by the mouth, sweet Sunshine. Old Spanish proverb." Brian gave Justin a smug smile as he walked to the fridge and poured himself some juice.

"Right. Death by the Flying Pillow. I'm shaking in my boots just thinking about it."

Justin slowly swung his legs off the sofa, thinking that he'd join Brian in the kitchen, and was taken aback to find Brian standing over him.

"Bri-"

Brian placed his hands on either side of Justin's head, trapping him on the sofa. A slow, seductive kiss followed, and Justin felt one of Brian's hands move away from the side of his head. It circled around his nipples before moving lower and lower and lower. In a matter of minutes Justin was hard, pushing against Brian, trying to force more out of him. Brian broke the kiss as his hand found its way back up to Justin's chest, pushing him back on to the couch.

"I warned you about being careful." Brian wiggled his eyebrows and picked up the discarded sketch book, pretending to be completely oblivious to the panting Justin on the sofa.

Justin glowered at Brian. Stupid, teasing man. He looked at the time and realized that Brian would soon start complaining that he was running late. Not likely that he would be getting satisfaction of any kind then. Justin sighed in resignation.

"You could sell your art. You know it's good."

Justin shook his head at Brian, smiling. "I'm sure peddling my art on the street will bring in bajillions of dollars."

"I'll pay you."

'What?" Justin looked at Brian curiously.

"I'll pay you $5000 for this." Brian was looking at one of the sketches Justin had done.

"Brian, you don't have to pay me; I'll _give _that to you if you want it!"

Brian exhaled noticeably. "I'll pay you for it. You sell a couple of these and you won't have to dance on bar tops anymore. Tempting offer, don't you think?"

Justin tapped his index finger on his chin in an exaggerated gesture. "So I draw, you pay obscene amounts of money to buy what you could have for free, and no more Babylon for me? Did I miss anything?"

He stood up, pulling Brian down for a light kiss. "I appreciate the sentiment Brian, but I'd much rather earn my tuition as opposed to having it given to me as if I was a charity case... and aren't you getting late for work?"

Brian frowned, murmuring an indistinct reply as he went to grab his jacket and Justin walked into the kitchen to drink some water. That was when he noticed the small bowl on the kitchen counter, with several fresh, bright yellow lemons inside it.

After that, nothing could bring Justin down from the high he was on. His grin was worse than that of the Cheshire cat and as much as he tried to hide it, Justin wasn't very successful at it. The fact that Pittsburgh seemed to be suffering from a torrential downpour when he got to his own apartment did nothing to dampen his mood either.

In fact, Justin was so happy that he didn't notice that one of the figures from his newly completed painting had simply vanished.

* * *

Reviews are always welcome ;)


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **As always, thank you soooo much, **Xrifree. **If not for her, Justin and Brian would exchange less than ten words to each other every chapter, and their romance would be conducted telepathically.

To everyone who is still reading and/or putting this on their lists, you're much appreciated. As well as all those who review - thank you! Reviews are inspiring :)

* * *

Justin was relieved that the rain had finally ceased, because he did not relish the thought of having to walk to Babylon with an umbrella. Taking the bus in such weather was not much better. He sat with Vic at the diner, waiting for Kiki to bring his order. He had spent the whole day at the library, completing a paper on art history for a student who had called earlier in the day, wanting it done on an urgent basis. He hadn't even had a chance to go back to his apartment for a shower and he figured that he'd just go to Babylon slightly earlier and get himself cleaned up there. He had hoped to catch Brian or at least Michael at the diner, but neither men were there.

"Hey Sunshine, Mikey told me you were back. How's your dad?" It was Debbie who appeared with his order.

"My da- ...oh, he's fine. Better. He's better now." Justin cursed himself for fumbling over his words. He had totally forgotten his cover story.

Debbie narrowed her eyes and sat down next to Vic. "You sure your father was sick? Because I've been thinking about how strange it is that you and Brian just so happened to appear and disappear at the same time."

"Debbie, that's –"

"Be careful, Sunshine."

"What?"

"Be careful. Look, I know there's something going on between you and Brian; and don't even try denying it. All I'm saying is, Brian is a heartbreaker. And it takes bright-eyed bushy-tailed kids like you about fifteen years to get over him; I should know, considering that I raised one myself. So. Keep your eyes open and heart closed and be the fuck careful. He might have fucked you more than once, and even met your family, but that don't mean –"

"Met my family? What are you talking about?" Justin felt his heart at his throat. Had Craig come looking for him? It couldn't have been his mother…

"Don't play dumb with me or I'll have your balls in a knot so tight that even Brian Kinney himself wouldn't be able to undo it."

Vic shook his head, more at Debbie than at Justin. "You're cousin dropped by the diner earlier today, looking for you and Brian. Well, he didn't mention Brian by name, but there are precious few men who answer to such a detailed description."

"My…cousin?" Justin was thoroughly confused. _What _cousin? Vic had said 'he', so it couldn't even have been Daphne. "I'm sorry Uncle Vic; I'm confused. What cousin are you talking about?"

"The cute one with the strange accent. Wavy brown hair and a goatee? What was his name…Ian? No, Ethan. That's it. Ethan."

Justin could only stare at Vic, unable to figure out what the older man was talking about. He didn't have any cousins, cute or otherwise. Certainly none called Ethan.

"He left a message for you. Now let me try and remember what exactly it was…" Debbie frowned slightly.

"Sis, I _told_ you to write it down."

Debbie was successful in turning Justin's confusion into horror. "Oh be quiet. I remember now. He asked me to tell you that Joshua was supposed to let you know that he was coming, but if you hadn't got the message, he'll see you later in the evening anyway."

For a brief moment, Justin almost felt dizzy. _Joshua_ was supposed to tell him? There was a man, walking around Pittsburgh, talking about _Joshua?_ Describing _Brian?_ Who _was_ Joshua? And who the fuck was this Ethan?

_What on earth was going on?_

Before Justin could formulate a coherent sentence, he felt someone slide into the booth next to him, and turned to find Ted.

"Here you are, Justin. Your cousin's been looking all over for you."

"My…_cousin?_"

"Yup. Ethan. He was over at Michael and Em's place when Brian and I got there. He's really a strange fellow, if you don't mind my saying so."

"If by strange you mean arrogant, I must agree. No offence, Justin." Vic said.

"Brian…er…this…er… and…_Ethan_…are at Michael's?" Justin felt goose bumps form on his arms.

"Well, Brian was at Michael's. The guys were going to go to Babylon, but I think your cousin – Ethan – is sleeping over at Michael's because he said he was tired. Not quite sure." Ted glanced at his watch. "I don't think you'll have time to head back there before your shifts starts. Don't worry, Em and Michael don't mind; besides, I think Michael's heading to Ben's after Babylon."

Justin could only stare at Ted, his mouth slightly open. What the _fuck _was going? Who was this Ethan?

Debbie left them for a few minutes to take another customer's order.

Ted turned back to Justin, smiling. "Your cousin talks funny, very clipped, like he just came from finishing school. And he couldn't take his eyes of Brian; I guess the two of you have similar taste. And you're family's truly an artistic bunch...wow. I'm really really impressed by how talented you all are. Your drawings are better than photographs and Ethan plays the violin like a dream!"

_Violin?_ Justin remembered his nightmare of being trapped in the forest, violin music playing from all sides. He felt his blood turn to water.

* * *

Justin wanted to set everyone straight about the stranger posing as his cousin. He wanted to, but he couldn't. If the message about Joshua wasn't enough, Ted's comment about the violin had forced Justin to play along with this Ethan's ruse, at least for now.

The violin was from his nightmare; Joshua was from the Ouija board séance; where was Ethan from? What was he forgetting? Justin felt sick to his stomach. There was nothing he wanted to do more than run all the way to Michael and Emmett's place, but he had appearances to maintain and a job to do. He had just taken almost a week off; somehow he didn't think that Sap would be very tolerant of Justin calling in a sick day so soon after being back.

Justin had some amount of luck at Babylon, as Michael came to speak to him almost as soon as Justin was on his break.

"Michael -"

"Justin, good to see you back! I hope you had fun with Brian, wherever the two of you went off to." Michael grinned and Justin found himself blushing in spite of himself.

"I don't know –"

"Look, Justin, I know Brian almost better than I know myself. After that stunt at the diner that day...but that's not why I wanted to talk to you. Your cousin is passed out on my couch. I think he's either sick or exhausted; he was really pale and couldn't do anything much. Except play his violin. He's really weird…he doesn't even have a cell phone."

"Oh." Justin tried to think something appropriate to say, but his mind was a complete blank. What were you supposed to say when you were pretending that a stranger that you hadn't even met was your cousin?

Michael's frowned slightly.

"Well, he got some life into him when he saw Brian, but that didn't last too long. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on him, and I mean that in more ways than one. Anyway, that's none of my business. He's your cousin so I let him stay at my place. I think you should check on him once your shift is done though. I'm going home with Ben and Em won't be in either, so here's my key. You can return it to me in the morning, ok?"

"Uh...thanks Michael. Thanks a lot." Justin smiled at him. Honestly, apart from smiling, thanking him and giving blank looks, Justin was running short of ideas on what to say. He had never before been in a situation where he had to pretend that a man he had never even met was his cousin, because said man may be carrying a message for him from a spirit.

"Where's Brian?" Justin had been so preoccupied with this supposed cousin of his that he almost missed noticing that Brian was not at Babylon. Almost.

"He went straight back home from my place. He said he was feeling sick." Michael frowned for the second time. "Now that I think about it, it's pretty weird that he was too sick for Babylon. I've never known Brian to be too sick to get his dick sucked off."

As the night progressed, Justin thought about what Michael had said. Maybe he should just give Brian a call to see how he was doing. He had to wait patiently for his next break to do that, so he entertained himself with more theories on who Ethan was and what he could possibly want, each more implausible than the other.

When the calls he finally made to Brian's cell phone went straight to voicemail several times, Justin began to seriously worry. He wasn't sure why, but it was a gut feeling. A strong gut feeling. He knew that Ethan was passed out on Michael's couch, possibly in need of immediate assistance, but Brian was way more important to him than a man with a message from a spirit. So Justin batted his eyelashes at Todd the Backroom Dude and wangled himself a ride to Brian's loft as soon as his shift was over. Ethan, whoever he was, would simply have to wait.

Justin's worry increased ten-fold when Brian didn't answer to repeated knocks to his door. He knew that he would probably regret what he was about to do, but it was too late and Justin was too tired and scared and confused to think of alternative ideas. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind, and stared intently at the loft door. He tugged the door as soon as he heard the bolt come undone and walked inside.

The lights were on and Brian's jacket lay on the sofa. Justin's eyes honed in on the figure lying on the bed. Justin was standing by the bed in an instant, his face slowly draining of colour and bile rising up his throat as he took in the sight that greeted him.

Brian was fully dressed, sprawled on his bed. His face was almost ashen; the way Justin normally looked after waking up from one of his nightmares. He couldn't tell if Brian had fallen asleep or if he had passed out. There was also an erratic line of dried blood making its way from his nose to the side of his face. Justin took several deep breaths, willing himself to stay calm. Brian couldn't have had the nosebleed when he was conscious, because surely he would have washed his face? He didn't look like he was having a nightmare, but Justin had enough experience in that particular field to know that looks could be extremely deceiving.

Fuck fuck _fuck! _Justin couldn't believe that his own personal demons had slowly started seeping into the life of the one man who meant the world to him. Suddenly, Michael's words from earlier came back to him.

_He got some life into him when he saw Brian_

If something had happened to Brian, Justin told himself, he would tear that charlatan cousin of his from limb to limb. Brian _better _be ok.

He quietly walked into the bathroom, and soon located some Wet Wipes which he brought over to the bed. Justin gently wiped Brian's face, trying his best not to wake the other man before he got the dry flakes of blood removed.

"Ugh…Sunshine…? That you?" Brian's voice was groggy and he blinked several times before his eyes focused on Justin.

"Hey…you feeling ok Bri?" Justin discreetly balled the stained Wet Wipes in his hand. Brian's face was clean. He couldn't explain why, but he didn't want Brian to know that he had suffered a nosebleed.

"Yeah…no…I feel like shit. I didn't even take anything…fuck!" Brian used his elbows to push himself up into a sitting position, facing Justin.

"Probably something you ate earlier. Just try and relax ok? I'll make some lemonade for you, unless I can find some tea in the kitchen." He kissed Brian on the cheek and was surprised when Brian leaned into Justin, resting his forehead on the younger man's shoulder.

Brian mumbled, and Justin had to gently tilt his chin upwards to hear what Brian was saying. "It's so fucking bright…I have a goddamn headache. And what are you doing here? How'd you get in?"

Justin gently helped Brian backwards against the pillows, and then dimmed the bedroom light as far down as it would go.

"Michael mentioned that you were feeling sick, and you weren't answering your phone, so I got worried. I dropped by to check on you…you hadn't locked your door." Justin offered the lie with ease as he walked to the kitchen.

Luckily, he found some tea bags and ended up making some lemon tea which he paired with cheese and crackers. Brian's kitchen really had very little he could work with. Brian grumbled, but he ate and drank it all. It seemed to energize him slightly, and he was beginning to look much better than how Justin had found him.

"Picasso and Paganini…you never told me you had a cousin." Even though he was sick, Brian's acerbic tongue clearly remained the same.

"I try not to talk about boring people." This was the last topic on earth that Justin wanted to discuss with Brian right now. "Did you drive back from Michael's place in this state?"

"Cab. Jeep's still parked there."

"Come on, you need to have a shower and get into bed and sleep off this bug."

"Fuck the shower. Switch off the lights and get in here."

Justin smiled ruefully. "I wish. But I have a cousin passed out on Michael's couch that needs to be dealt with, so very unfortunately, I can't spend the night. And you mister, need to get cleaned up. Come on."

"And here I thought my very own Florence Nightingale was going to nurse me back to health. You're ditching me?"

Justin couldn't help smiling. It was true what people said; men _did _turn into little boys when they were sick.

"Florentino Nightingale is going to wait with you till you fall asleep. And if you promise to be good and have a shower, Florentino might even reward you by sucking you back to health."

"If Florentino is leaving tonight, he better call a cab. Take cash from my wallet."

A sick Brian Kinney was nevertheless Brian Kinney, and the reward of a blowjob was sufficient enticement. Justin managed to get Brian into the shower, without further complaints. Brian was still slightly groggy, and Justin ended up showering with him just to make sure that Brian wouldn't hurt himself.

_Why is this affecting him more than it ever affected me?_

Justin contemplated giving Brian a Xanax, but without knowing whether Brian would suffer a nightmare, Justin was loathe to give him sleeping pills. He didn't have to worry too much, since the blowjob relaxed Brian as much as a Xanax probably would have, and he fell asleep in time. As much as Justin wanted to stay, he knew that he had to deal with the ever-more mysterious Ethan before anymore damage was done.

Before he fell asleep, Brian complained once more about Justin heading back at that time of the night, insisting that he call a cab and take the money for it from Brian's wallet. For once Justin decided against throwing a fuss. There were far bigger things to worry about.

* * *

In a night of increasingly worrisome surprises, the worst of it all was the sight that greeted Justin when he walked into Michael and Emmett's apartment. Lying prone on the sofa was presumably Ethan. Justin recognized him instantly.

Ethan was the violinist from Justin's painting. He was a fucking _painting _come to life.

Justin felt his grasp of reality slowly slipping away as he struggled to stay calm. _What is happening? Is any of this actually real or have I officially lost my mind?_

Ethan's eyes opened and locked with Justin's.

"Help me." Ethan's voice was barely a whisper, as he struggled to sit up.

Justin walked over to him slowly, the thoughts in his head exploding in a million different directions.

"Who are you? _What _are you?"

"Help me. Please."

Justin could barely hear what Ethan said. He knelt down next to the sofa, and spoke to Ethan again, bringing his face closer.

"What _are _you?"

Before he could move, Ethan grabbed him by the shoulders. There was a blinding flash of light before the whole world turned to black.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N : ****Xrifree**, you're so awesome and as thanks, I'm working hard to give you the ending you want. Just a few more spell books to get through to make it work ;)

Thanks also to** Matsiko, **for volunteering to do a tedious job.

And for everyone who is reading and/or reviewing, I love you all!

* * *

In the first few seconds when Justin became conscious and realized that he was in his own bed, he thought that he had woken up from one of his usual terrifying nightmares. Then he sat up and found Ethan standing at the foot of his bed. Suddenly, it began to dawn on him that his waking life and nightmarish slumber had finally merged into one real-time hell.

Justin sat up and looked at Ethan silently. He tried to get his thoughts in order and there was no doubt about it; Ethan was the man from the painting, which incidentally, was nowhere in sight. While all common sense and logic told him that it was not possible for a painting to come to life, Justin had never expected to open locked doors and switch faucets on and off by just thinking about it. At this point in time, he was keeping an open mind.

Justin felt the dried blood on his face, and knew that he must have suffered yet another nosebleed. He breathed in and out slowly, trying not to panic. "Keep calm and carry on" took on a whole new meaning.

He looked Ethan once more, studying him intently. Michael was right. Ethan was pale. An unnatural pale. He looked as if he hadn't seen the sun for centuries. Justin shook his head. The man had stepped out of a painting; _of course _he hadn't seen the sun! He also took in Ethan's clothes. Mostly because they were his own clothes. In different colours. Colours almost too bright to be real.

Justin contemplated twenty different questions to ask Ethan before he settled on what he thought was a good opener.

"How did I get here?"

"I brought you into your own home. I feel we have more privacy here."

As Ted said, Ethan _did_ speak strangely. His accent was…British? Some weird European mix? Justin had no clue. It just didn't sound…normal. And Ethan's voice; Justin couldn't put his finger on it but it seemed unnatural.

"But…you were passed out on the couch…how did you manage to bring me in here?"

Ethan looked at Justin as if he were a dunce.

"Is that important?"

Ok, this wasn't working.

"Are you a ghost?"

Ethan laughed. An unpleasant laugh. "Do I seem like a ghost to you? Am I wearing a white shroud? Are you able to see through me?"

"No…"

"Then why do you ask if I am a ghost?"

"Uh….gee…I dunno…maybe because you _stepped out of a fucking painting?"_

"Is everything that falls from the sky rain? Is everything you find in the ocean fish? And goodness, what coarse language."

Justin felt his patience wearing thin. Ghost or no ghost, this Ethan was bloody irritating.

"So you're not a ghost?"

"That would be entirely dependent on one's perspective."

Justin clenched his fists, trying to keep a lid on his rising fury. "Let's go with _your_ perspective, shall we? Define yourself according to your perspective."

"I am…Ethan."

"Ethan?"

"Ethan."

"Are we going to do this all fucking day? Are you going to give me ambiguous I Ching answers to every damn question I ask?" If Justin hadn't considered the possibility of his hand actually going through Ethan's face, he would have punched the annoying son of a bitch by now. "How about you tell me what the fuck you are, what you're doing here and what on earth it is that you want from me?"

Ethan wrinkled his nose. "I had hoped that you would be one with more decorum, but I cannot expect you to have my standards. But you have questions. And as your _cousin, _I shall oblige you by answering them."

Finally. He was getting somewhere. Maybe after this, Ethan and the nosebleeds and everything else would just disappear and he would get a chance to just be normal again. The idea that an end to all the supernatural happenings might be near almost made Justin eager.

"What _are_ you? Are you a ghost? Are you dead? Who's Joshua? What do you want from me?"

"I am…I _was _a member of the Golden Dawn."

"The _what?_"

"The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn."

"And that would be…?" Justin frowned. Hermetic Order? Had Ethan been a monk?

Ethan sighed. "The Golden Dawn was an Order in England. The Outer Order taught its members theurgy and philosophy and spiritual development. But that was not where my interest lay. My interest was in what the Inner Order taught – astrology, scrying, alchemy...magic."

"_Magic?"_

Ethan continued, taking little notice of Justin. "Magic, astrology, geomancy…they are but branches of the same tree, are they not? It was a wondrous time, and everything I know I learnt from the Order. From Joshua."

"Joshua…he was…"

Ethan looked at Justin with a bitter smile. "He was a Chief of the Inner Order…the most charming, beautiful man I had ever known. He started by teaching me the secrets of the Order and before either of us realized it, we became more than members of the Order to each other…"

"You fell in love." Justin shook his head. He should have seen that one coming a mile away.

"We fell in love."

"And they found out and banished you from this Order because of it?" Justin's romantic notions were working overtime. Joshua and Ethan must have fallen in love, and the Order must have found out and banished them because they were gay. He found himself feeling sorry for the pair.

"Not quite so…the Order did not object to our relationship. They objected to our private…experiments."

"_Private experiments…?"_

"Yes…Joshua and I…we felt the moral restrictions placed by the Order were not conducive to our joint aspirations, or the pinnacle that could have been reached by practicing what we knew…what the magic and alchemy could bring us. So we chose to pursue our own private agenda, unbeknownst to the Order. But, alas, we were found, and then they excommunicated us."

Justin did not like the turn the story was taking. "What happened then?"

"Joshua and I decided to found our own Order; an Order that would utilize our knowledge and skill without any lofty restrictions. But we could not do that in England; the Golden Dawn was too powerful. So we fled to America. The New World. For our new beginning."

"And then what happened?" It was like watching a train wreck; Ethan's face, tone, everything screamed that the story would not end well and yet, Justin was transfixed.

"And then we came to America. Pittsburgh was a fine city then. But still, we had to be discreet, establish connections…I employed myself as a musician while Joshua assisted at a medical practice. The dear Dr. Stanley Peterson." Ethan scoffed. "But with the war and the Selective Service Act -"

Justin raced through all the history lessons he had ever learnt at school… _Selective Service Act Selective Service Act Selective Service Act…Woodrow Wilson…World War One_ - that was it! He realized that he had missed part of Ethan's story.

" – war would have been the death of us. That's when I worked out how our spirits could be conserved till eternity."

_Conserve your spirit_

"What…"

Ethan's grim smile was back. "In this world, our bodies would rot…but inside our own world, our spirits would live together, forever intertwined. I toiled day and night, working on only that, I did not eat, I did not sleep, I did not go to work… I created the powder, I enchanted the canvas, I created the spell…all Joshua had to do was agree to come with me."

"The painting…that was…is…was…that was your world…"

"He promised eternity to me. It was to be perfect…Joshua and I…Fool that I was, I agreed to let him cast it."

"But why? If you created it…"

"Because he was stronger…he was better at casting spells than I was. After all, he _was _my teacher. I didn't find out that Dr. Peterson had cast a spell of his own over Joshua until I was trapped inside the painting, with no limbs to find my way out…"

Justin felt a sudden chill down his spine.

"Oh my god…I…until I completed you…_I _let you out!"

Ethan's smile grew. "And for that, I shall be forever grateful."

The penny dropped.

"The powder…the powder on the canvas…that day…on my hands…the blood…it was _you…_all this time…in my head…the nightmares, the nosebleeds…it was you!"

"But naturally…finally, after all these years, I found someone who had the ability to release me. I would have been a fool to let an opportunity like that pass me by."

He shivered. There was something…there was something almost sinister about Ethan. Justin recalled all the feelings of sheer terror and panic that he used to wake up with. That had all been Ethan. How could anyone who brought about feelings like that be trusted? There's more to the story here that Ethan isn't telling, Justin thought.

"But why…the nosebleeds…"

"I tried to speak to you, but your mind was closed to me…and the more your mind resists, the weaker your body becomes."

"The power…my ability…the telekinesis…that was also you, wasn't it?"

"That was a mistake, but it was the only way I could open your mind."

"You compelled me to complete you!"

"On the contrary. I did not have to. You made it much easier for me by completing me; my plan was to possess your body."

Justin allowed himself to be scared. He was chilled to the bone, and something told him that he hadn't heard the worst of it yet.

"How…I…you…I don't understand…you said your body rotted in this world…"

Ethan was almost sneering now. "A mere bagatelle, dear Justin. A magician never tells all his secrets."

"What do you want? Why are you here?"

"For almost a hundred years, my picture remained incomplete. The promise of eternity with my beloved was a wish unfulfilled. But then you, you who are my creator, you completed me. After you showed me my destiny."

"I did _what?_"

"You showed my destiny. All this time, I waited in vain for an incarnation of Joshua, because that is whom I was supposed to spend eternity with. But Joshua never came, in any incarnation. Now I realize why…Joshua wasn't my destiny."

Justin's mouth was dry, and it was with mounting dread that he asked the next question.

"Then who _is _your…your…destiny?"

Ethan frowned at Justin. "You chose him for me. You placed him in my world."

"I didn't place _anyone _in your…" Justin's eyes widened in horror as the implication of Ethan's words hit him full force. "You don't mean…it can't be…not _Brian?"_

"He came to my world; you put him there. That is my destiny. Now I'm here to take him back with me. My world shall finally be complete."

"What the fuckare you _talking_ about? It was a _painting! _That's all it was! I just painted him there…"

"It is certainly not _just_ a painting; it is my _world_. He was painted there so that I would not spend eternity alone. And I shall ensure that he goes back with me."

Justin stared at Ethan, his mouth open in shock.

"_I _painted him there! As _practice! _It had nothing to do with you! Ethan, seriously, whatever ideas you have; you're wrong. This is all a mistake…a misunderstanding. No one was _placed_ in your world, no one _came_ to your world…this is all just a huge mistake, that's all it is."

"_Mistake?_ I waited ninety three years for a _mistake? _I think not. I am here to collect what is mine."

"You're _dead. _He's alive. He's a _person,_ with friends, a family, a _son_…he has a life, he'snot some token to be collected. You can't do this!"

Ethan's laugh echoed all around the room.

"And who's going to stop me? Seventeen year old you? Against over a hundred years of magic? Are you going to wave your paint brush in the air and hope that I disappear? I came to collect what is mine, and that is what I shall be leaving with."

* * *

**A/N** : The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is not something I made up; it was order that actually existed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

For everyone who wanted to the ghost to make an appearance soon, I hope you're all happy now! :) Kinda short chapter, I know, but hey, Ethan's here!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Where would I be without **Xrifree** to bounce all those ridiculous ideas off? Thanks!

* * *

"Gus really adores you, doesn't he? Has Brian seen the two of you together?"

Justin smiled at Emmett as Gus babbled in his own unique language of baby-talk, while trying to fit an upside down bucket over Justin's head.

"Not really…Brian sees Gus over the weekend, mostly. Ok Gus, we need to find you a new toy now, don't we?"

"Well that's a shame! Aunty Em thinks that if Brian saw you and Gus together more often, you'd have Brian eating out of your palm." Emmett reached over and took Gus from Justin's arms, matching Gus' gurgles with baby-talk of his own. Winking at Justin, he added "Not that you don't already."

Justin laughed, grateful to both Emmett and Gus for helping him relax. Ethan had shaken the very foundation of the fragile world that Justin had started building for himself and he had actually been physically sick. When he had returned from the bathroom, Ethan had been lying on Justin's bed, looking pale.

Ethan pulled the same stunt he had at Michael and Emmett's apartment and when Justin regained consciousness, he had been alone in his apartment. Both Ethan and the painting were gone, and he was left to wash off the remains of a nosebleed.

He didn't know why, but it was apparent that Ethan was weak physically. In Justin's absence, he must have drawn on Brian's energy, which explained why Brian had been sick. And now for the second time, Ethan had drawn on Justin's energy.

Emmett's voice brought him back to the present.

"Ok sweetie, I need to run, but I brought what you asked for." Emmett indicated to the box that he had placed on the table earlier and then frowned. "This really is for your friend, right? And not for you?"

"Em, I _told _you that it's for my friend." Justin had called Emmett almost as soon as he had started babysitting Gus that day. Because of what Ethan had done, Justin had woken up with barely enough time to make it to Lindsay's place. He hated being late, especially since it wasn't fair that his tardiness would make Lindsay late for her class. Luckily, he had made it on time. All that rushing about hadn't left him with much time to think though.

Justin needed help, and there was only one person he knew that would be able to answer him. He looked at the box on the table, containing the Ouija board.

"Justin, you know what happened last time, right? Tell your friend to be careful, ok? And please please _please _don't do anything silly. If you use it and something happens again, Brian would _kill _me."

"Em, relax ok? A friend of mine is the one who'll be using it. And Brian will be the last person on earth who'll find out." Justin felt bad lying to Emmett, but he had little choice in the matter. Besides, it wasn't a total lie. A friend would be using it. What he didn't tell Emmett was that it would be a friend _and _Justin.

"I promised Daph I'll find a board, and I feel bad to bail on her."

Emmett sighed, clearly not very comfortable with the situation. "Fine. But if something happens…"

"_Nothing _will happen. I won't even be there when Daphne uses the Ouija board, ok?" Again, technically, that statement was true. After reassuring Emmett over and over again for the next ten minutes, Justin finally had the Ouija board to himself.

Calling Daphne was out of the question; if there was a repeat performance of the last time Justin had been near the Ouija board, she'd call 911 of Jennifer Taylor or both without hesitation. That left him with only one other option. He would have a window of about three hours before his shift at Babylon started, and it would simply have to do.

Mentally apologizing to Lindsay and Melanie, Justin made himself dinner in their kitchen while he prepared Gus' food. Tonight, he wouldn't have time to go to the diner. He had to head to Hunter's place as soon as Lindsay got home.

"Gus, I hope this works. I really really _really _hope that Joshua can help me. He's the only hope I have."

* * *

Hunter looked at Justin dubiously. "Tell me again: why are you doing this? And why do you need me?"

"I told you. I had a dream. It was my grandfather, and he was trying to tell me something. But he's been dead for years…so this is how you're supposed to contact the dead, right? And I can't use the Ouija board by myself."

"You know that I don't believe a word you're saying, right?"

"You really can't use the Ouija board alone."

"Not that, you idiot. The bullshit about your dream."

"Oh. Well. Can we just pretend that you believe me? Because I _have _to do this now, and there's just no way that I can tell you the truth Hunter. And I'd rather do this with a friend instead of some bogus psychic who'll charge me $50 an hour to stare into a crystal ball. "

Hunter gave him a hard stare before he sighed. "Well, I've never done this 90210-type shit anyway, so I suppose it'll be interesting."

Justin looked at Hunter, thinking. For all Hunter's tough attitude, he figured that Hunter was probably craving for a normal life as much as Justin was. Unfortunately, normal was not on the menu when it came to Justin.

"I don't mean to scare you, but it's always better to take precautions, ok? So _whatever_ happens, just don't panic, and if I pass out or something, sprinkle some water on me. And no matter what happens, what you hear, or what I say, don't utter a _word_." The last thing Justin wanted was for Hunter to freak out if something went drastically wrong.

"You've done this before, haven't you?"

Justin lit the candles he had brought, and ignored the question.

"Does Kinney know that you're in trouble?"

"What? I'm…I'm not in trouble…and even if I was, why would Brian –"

"Justin. I was a hustler. My job was reading people. And you… you're _definitely_ in some kind of trouble. First the doctor, and now this. As for Kinney…come _on _Justin! You're practically his non-boyfriend. I'll do this shit, but I better not get hauled in front of Kinney for explanations later, got it?"

"Got it. Sit down. We need to hold hands. Repeat after me once, and then we'll say it together, ok?"

"Let there be no evil forces or demons."

"Let there be no evil forces or demons."

"Let there be no evil forces or demons."

They moved the planchette around lightly. When the flames of the candles stopped flickering, and instead burnt brighter than was natural, Justin knew it was time to start.

"Joshua? I need your help. Please talk to me if you're there." Justin closed his eyes, trying hard to keep the desperation out of his voice. It didn't take long to make contact.

"Hello, Justin. We meet once more."

"Joshua? Is that you?"

Justin took his hand off the planchette when he heard the voice, and he opened his eyes.

"You have had a visitor."

Hunter was staring, eyes wide, alternating between looking at the planchette which was moving rapidly of its own accord, and Justin, who was obviously talking to a person that Hunter couldn't hear. Or see.

Unlike the last time Justin did this, Joshua's was voice was clear, and he didn't have to strain to hear what was being said. It was as if an invisible wall had been lifted; Justin wondered whether it was because he was no longer closing his mind to different ideas.

"He's here…Ethan, he…he's here."

"This turn of events, it is something wholly unexpected."

"You don't say." Justin couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "Look, Joshua, this is _your_ fault. You realize that, right? He's doing this because you broke his heart."

"Ethan lived in a world all his own. He mistook my interest in him for love."

"You tricked him!" Justin was so caught up in his dialogue with Joshua that Hunter faded into the background.

"You know very little of the matter. I am not to be blamed if he mistook a relationship that was a combination of physical intimacy and professional interest for eternal love."

Joshua seemed the least bothered, and Justin didn't know which was worse – Ethan and his diabolical plan or Joshua and his stone cold heart.

"You crippled him for eternity! _How _are you not to be blamed?"

"Self preservation is a virtue; and that is something I recommend that you consider in greater detail."

Frustration was bubbling inside Justin, and he had to remind himself that making the spirit angry wouldn't help his cause.

"_Self preservation?_ I need to stop him! You need to –"

Joshua laughed a cold laugh that was in many ways similar to Ethan's laugh.

"My dear boy, Ethan cannot be stopped. You are but a seventeen year old with no discernible talents; he is one whose knowledge of the black arts spans over a century."

Justin stared blankly at the Ouija board. "But…he's going to take Brian…"

"Take comfort in knowing that your life has been spared and let Ethan fulfill his desire. You are unable to oppose him, in any event."

Justin spluttered, anger and incredulity making him speechless for a moment. "But...but…you can help me. You _have _to help me! You're better at this than he is; Ethan said so himself! You taught him everything he knows; you can -"

"As I advised you, love lost is small fare compared to that of life. Tempt not the Fates to look your way, and your life may be –"

"My _life_ is with Brian! How can I just sit here while he –"

"Conserve your spirit, Justin Taylor."

The candles went out all at once and Justin and Hunter were engulfed in darkness.

* * *

"I'm thinking that a bogus psychic who charges $50 to stare at a crystal ball may not be such a bad idea…"

Justin looked at Hunter in surprise. Hunter hadn't said anything about the séance, and Justin had let him draw his own conclusions. He didn't expect Hunter to bring it up in the middle of Babylon, surrounded by glitter and tinsel.

"What?"

"You didn't get the answers you wanted, right? Why not seek a professional's help instead of using some Ouija board?"

"Professional…? I thought you didn't believe in ghosts and goblins and…"

"You get 'professional' everything. Find a professional kook is all I'm saying. Nothing whatsoever to do with what I believe."

The way they were dancing, Justin couldn't see Hunter's face, and with all the music, he could barely hear the words, let alone try to deduce the tone they were spoken in.

"So if you don't believe…"

"It's amazing the kind of ideas a person will entertain when they're living with a death sentence over their heads. But it's not about my believing. It's _your_ belief. You're in some kinda trouble, and for some strange reason, you think Ouija boards and crystal balls are the way to go about fixing it. I'm just saying, if you really believe that shi- stuff, you should go all out."

"There's no use. That _was _me going all out."

Justin smiled a sultry smile at a patron who stuffed greenbacks into his waistband and wiggled his ass some more, while inside he was practically dead. The dichotomy of the situation wasn't lost on him.

"C'mon. Travis is signaling our break."

They scrambled down as two other dancers took their place.

Justin wanted to hang himself. _He _had painted Brian into the painting, _he _had completed Ethan, and now Ethan was after Brian, and there was nothing he could do about it.

How could he have fucked up so badly? After everything Brian had done for him, Justin had effectively set in motion a chain of events that would end Brian's life, for all intents and purposes.

Ethan was right. What _was _he going to do – wave his paintbrush in the air? The only special skill Justin possessed had been given to him by Ethan himself, so no doubt it would be disappearing as fast as Justin had acquired it. He had pinned all his hopes on Joshua, who had shut the door in his face without a backward glance.

What the fuck could he do now? Sit back and watch while Ethan had his way? Every instinct inside him screamed no, but practically speaking, Justin had no clue as to what he was supposed to do.

"Florentino. Who stole your stardust?"

"_Brian!_ You're ok!" Justin hadn't really known what to expect, but when he saw Brian, alive and healthy, standing in Babylon, relief flooded through him. Hunter, Michael, Ted and Brian himself all looked at Justin in surprise.

"I had a bug; I wasn't on my deathbed. You need to learn to chill out a bit."

"I…I know…I just…" Justin shrugged in embarrassment. What could he say – I thought you were trapped inside a painting for all eternity by now?

"Who's Florentino?" Michael looked from Justin to Hunter, frowning.

"Never mind, Mikey." Brian smiled a sloppy smile at Justin, clearly well on his way to getting sloshed. "Come on Sunshine, let's drink your break away. Henry, why don't you join us?"

"_Hunter_." Justin and Hunter chorused together.

"Hunn-ter. _Hunnnter_, why don't you join us?"

"You're so wasted, Bri." Justin smiled as Brian threw his arm around Justin, and the men walked to the bar.

"When_ isn't_ he wasted?"

Justin turned, grinning at Michael, glad to be distracted even if it was temporary. His grin turned into a wide smile as Brian, who was talking to Hunter, pulled Justin possessively against himself, away from Michael. Michael merely rolled his eyes and spoke to Brian.

"You better tone it down tonight, Brian. Don't you have an early morning tomorrow?"

"Mornings are early by definition, Michael. What's your point?"

"We met your cousin on our way here. He's really hot."

Justin froze, and frowned at Ted. "What?"

"Is he staying with you?"

"Uh…kind of…just…for now…" Justin was too scared to even try and find out whether Brian had been there or not.

Michael grimaced; he was clearly no fan of Ethan's. "Ted, I hope you're not interested in him."

"What cousin?" Hunter asked.

_Shit._

"Paganini. Ian."

"_Ethan_." Michael corrected, exasperated.

Hunter stared at Justin. "_Ethan?_ Your cousin is called _Ethan?_"

"Uh…" Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

Brian, Michael and Ted watched Hunter curiously.

"I suppose next thing I know, you'll be telling me that your brother is called Joshua. Or would Joshua be your grandfather?"

"Joshua?" Even in his alcohol-addled state, the significance of the name wasn't lost on Brian, though he seemed to struggle to exactly place it.

"Hunter's…father. Hunter's father's called Joshua."

Note to self: my special skill is a rapidly developing ability to lie, Justin thought.

"What? I don't get it." Ted sounded as confused as everyone's expressions indicated.

"Yeah. Long, boring story. Where's Emmett?"

* * *

Justin looked at the time. 10:06 a.m.

He should be sleeping in on a Saturday, but he couldn't. He had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. The previous night had been little short of misery. Hunter hadn't asked him anything to him, which actually made Justin wish that Hunter would just tell him whatever he was thinking.

Brian hadn't asked him to come over either, and that had served to further pull Justin down. He knew that he had no right to expect special attention from Brian all the time, but he had needed it last night.

Given Ethan's stated goal, Justin wondered how much longer it would be before Brian disappeared from his life. Michael. Gus. Lindsay. Disappeared from all their lives. All because Justin had been a stupid fucking moron who couldn't leave well enough alone.

He was so angry with himself; he wanted to bash his head against the wall. Chris Hobbs should have finished me off when he had the chance because that would have at least stopped me from ruining the lives of everyone I care about, Justin thought.

Justin rolled his eyes as he saw the blood stained tissues on the floor that had missed the garbage can by a good foot or two. Fucking Ethan. Justin vaguely recalled being almost hypnotized by Ethan when he got home after Babylon.

As he had a shower, Justin wondered where Ethan had disappeared to. And where the fuck does he stash that damn painting? He had searched every nook and cranny in his apartment, but it had simply vanished.

Justin found himself wandering down the street, in a blue funk. How the fuck was _he _supposed to stop Ethan, when even Joshua refused to help? If killing himself would have solved the problem, Justin would have done so in a heartbeat. Brian would effectively die, probably sooner than later, and it would be all his fault.

With his thoughts pretty much running on a constant repeat, Justin looked up as he recognized the houses lining the street. Past another two blocks, he would be at Melanie and Lindsay's place. Justin hadn't planned on dropping by their place, even as he neared their home, but the racket he heard from almost two houses away made his decision for him.

He vaguely registered Brian's jeep parked outside. He could hear Gus crying as he turned into the house. Not crying. Howling. No, not howling. Gus was just screaming or bawling or both and it sounded absolutely terrible. Justin had never heard Gus like this. Somewhere in the background, he could hear adult voices. _What on earth was going on?_

Justin was certain that no one would hear the doorbell over the noise inside, so he just tried the door and walked inside.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who's reading and/or reviewing and/or giving theories as to what's going on. :) Love you all! It's so nice when people are involved with the story.

And as always, thanks to** Xrifree**!

* * *

A cacophony of sounds greeted Justin as he walked inside. The loudest by far was Gus, who was wailing. It was an absolutely terrible noise, and it broke Justin's heart to hear Gus like that. Justin would have thought that it was colic, had Gus been younger. The boy was fine when Justin had been babysitting him yesterday.

"What's wrong with Gus? What on earth is going on?"

Several heads turned to look at Justin.

And that's when he saw Ethan. Leaning against the mantelpiece was the bane of his existence, attempting to look concerned. Justin felt his blood start to boil. He didn't know what Ethan had done, but there was no doubt in his mind that Ethan was responsible for the state Gus was in. He just instinctively knew it.

Justin's suspicions were confirmed when Ethan looked at him, slightly arching his eyebrows, looking supremely self-satisfied. Justin glared at him before moving towards Gus. He barely registered the presence of Ted and Emmett, who were standing together, clearly feeling uncomfortable and out of place.

Lindsay was carrying Gus, rocking him, but it was not having any effect. Gus was screaming and thrashing about. Brian, Melanie and Lindsay were all talking simultaneously.

"I think he's colicky. He was fine this morning but he's been like this for the last hour." Lindsay was close to tears herself.

"For Christ's sake Lindz, he's over six months. He's not colicky...it must be his teeth…come on baby…" Gus spat out the teething ring that Melanie put in his mouth and resumed his bawling.

Brian rubbed his temples. "It's been an hour and he isn't letting up. We're taking him to the hospital." He turned to Justin. "Can you get his things?"

"Brian, I _told _you. I called Dr. Roberts. She said to bring Gus to her only if he was like this till the afternoon…"

"So we're supposed to just sit and watch while he turns blue and brings the whole fucking house down? We're going to the hospital. NOW." Brian and Melanie had obviously been taking their frustrations out on each other for a while.

_What the fuck had Ethan done? _

"I don't want them pumping him with all kinds of drugs…we don't even know what's wrong with him!"

"Well, we won't know if we don't take him to the fucking hospital now, will we Lindsay?"

"I think we should take him to Dr. Roberts." Lindsay, having no luck whatsoever with Gus, placed him in Melanie's arms.

Melanie's cooing and cradling didn't seem to have any effect on Gus, who continued to wail louder and louder.

"I think taking the baby to the hospital is an excellent idea." Ethan spoke from his position near the mantelpiece.

Justin glared at him. He couldn't believe what was happening. Ethan had told that he was after Brian, but he was threatening not just Brian but Gus. No, he wasn't threatening Gus; he was _already _hurting the kid. Gus was screaming as if he was being horsewhipped.

Something inside Justin snapped. No fucking way was Ethan going to hurt the people he loved while he just stood idly by. He would do anything – everything - whatever it took - to protect those he loved. He was _not_ going to watch helplessly while Ethan turned their lives upside down. He had to do _something_.

If Ethan was supporting taking Gus to the hospital, Justin knew that it would be absolutely the _worst _thing to do.

"Gus doesn't need a hospital." The words were out of Justin's mouth before he could formulate a plan.

"What? Why thank you Dr. Taylor, for your unwarranted opinion. Now can you go get his shit so we can leave?" Brian glared at him.

"Let's first take him to Dr. Roberts, and if she doesn't do – _OW!_" Melanie yelled as Gus' fist holding his rattle hit her across the cheek.

"Mel, are you ok? Oh, Gus sweetie, what's_ wrong?_" Lindsay rushed to take Gus out of Melanie's arms.

Justin saw the glint in Ethan's eye. A public place with people walking in and out seemed like an extremely dangerous idea to him.

"Gus doesn't need a doctor or a hospital. Molly used to be like -"

"Justin, the fuck do _you_ know? Will you get Gus' shit _now_?"

"Brian is right, Justin. I know you're trying to help, but I think this is out of your depth."

Of course. As _if _Lindsay would disagree with Brian.

Brian glared at him, as Justin walked towards Gus instead of listening to Brian. The first thing to do was to get Gus as far away from Ethan as possible.

"We don't need his bag. Just get his blanket." Melanie said.

"Gus doesn't need doctors or hospitals or bags." Justin voice was commanding, with a strength he didn't know he possessed. Before Lindsay realized what was going on, Justin plucked the screaming Gus out of her hands.

"What Gus needs is fresh air, peace and quiet."

Justin held the screaming child tightly against himself, and strode out of the house before anyone could stop him. He paused only to send Ethan one message: _you'll hurt him over my dead body._

* * *

To his immense relief, Gus noticeably stopped his screaming as soon as he was taken outside, though he continued to cry. Justin walked briskly to far edge of the front lawn. The more distance there was between Gus and Ethan, the faster he could bring Gus back down to normal.

"You poor thing, all you wanted was to get out of there, right? Don't worry Gus, you're with me, and you're safe and as long as I'm here, no one is going to hurt you, ok?" Justin didn't know that Gus understood what he was saying, but he cooed reassurances while slowly cradling Gus. "I promise you sweetie, I'm going to make sure that you'll always be safe so you don't have to be scared. Don't cry baby, ok? You and I; we're safe out here. I'm going to protect you always always always…"

Justin was oblivious to the world outside of Gus and himself. He continued to gently speak to Gus, and the more he reassured Gus, the calmer the child became. Justin held Gus close to his own body, slowly rubbing the child's back in an unconscious imitation of Brian. The two of them swayed to and fro in rhythm, and Gus' agitated cries were beginning to subside into sniffles and hiccups.

"That's right…there's a good boy…you know that everything's ok now, don't you? Let's try and go to sleep sweetheart, ok?" Justin started to sing Gus' favourite lullaby, his voice becoming even softer.

"_Hush, little baby, don't say a word._

_Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird_

_And if that mockingbird won't sing,_

_Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring_

_And if that diamond ring turns -"_

"Justin…?"

Justin stopped singing when he heard his name being called tentatively and when he turned to face the house, he saw Brian, Lindsay and Melanie. That they were amazed was doubtless; he was also quite sure that they must have called out to him several times before, and he just hadn't heard them.

"Justin…" Lindsay's voice faltered when he turned to face them.

"Gus, is he…?"

Justin avoided looking at Brian, but he answered the other man's question.

"Gus is fine. He's ok, really…aren't you, little man?"

"Justin…how did you…I mean…he was hysterical less than five minutes ago…is he really ok? Maybe we should…" Melanie clearly was the one in most control of herself.

Brian opened his mouth, but Justin beat him to it.

"I know that Gus is your son. You're all the parents and I'm just the babysitter."

"Justin! It' not…" Lindsay looked mortified.

"Look, you're all thinking it; I'm just saying it out loud." His voice was gentle but firm. "And while I appreciate the fact that you're all Gus' parents, I think that right now, I'm the one who knows what he needs. I love Gus as if he were my own kid and if I thought for a second that he needed a doctor or a hospital or anything else, I'd put him in your hands without another thought."

"Justin – "

He cut Melanie off. "But that's _not_ what he needs. Gus has calmed down now; he's even stopped crying…yeah, that's right, we're talking about what a good boy you are."Justin spoke to Gus when he felt a small hand tug at his hair.

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm still here, and you're as safe as can be." Justin ignored the adults and talked to Gus some more, before turning his attention back to them.

"Gus was just strung out, and all that people and talking and tension overwhelmed him. I'm going to put him to sleep now, and I think it would be easier if I was alone with him; everyone hovering around him is going to make him nervous again.

If someone can bring me his bottle; I don't want him getting dehydrated…I'll stay out here and put him to sleep."

Lindsay started to speak, but Brian's voice ruled over hers. "Come on, let's go inside. Lindsay, why don't you get Gus' bottle? Justin seems to have everything under control here."

* * *

**A/N** : I know it's a short chapter but...forgive me? Pwetty pwease?


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **Wishing everyone all the very best for the season! I hope you all had a healthy dose of eggnog and presents :)

A humongous 'thank you' to everyone who is still following the story; and for those who wanted the last scene extended in Chapter 14, I hope you all will be happy with this one.

Last but never the least, thanks a gazillion to **Xrifree**! Telepathically sending lots of snow your way :D . And chocolates. Snow and chocolates.

* * *

Justin slowly stretched his arm, choosing to ignore the voices he heard downstairs. He looked out of the picture window; Lindsay or Melanie must have drawn the curtains to a side sometime earlier.

He almost hadn't noticed Emmett, Ted and the dreaded Ethan leave several hours ago. Justin hadn't really taken any notice when Lindsay had come with Gus' bottle when they were on the front lawn, but when the child scrunched up his face seconds later, though not quite crying, he had looked up to see an amused Ethan wink at him before crossing the street.

Brian, Melanie and Lindsay had mostly left Justin and Gus alone, and once Gus had been put to sleep, Justin had taken him upstairs to his room and put him in his crib. He had quietly gone downstairs, assured everyone that Gus was fine, and had even managed to get through half the lunch Lindsay and Melanie had cooked before a crying Gus summoned him upstairs again. Gus was nowhere as agitated as he was when Ethan had been around; he was just disoriented from waking up and obviously still somewhat disturbed from what had happened earlier in the day.

Nobody suggested doctors or hospitals or even tried to calm Gus themselves this time; a silent consensus had apparently been reached, and Justin was left to do what he had done previously. Gus refused to let Justin put him down, and he had been compelled to carry the child for the better part of the afternoon.

Justin had been keen to avoid conversation with any of the three parents, and taking care of Gus gave him a ready excuse. He stayed in the nursery, and they were undisturbed for the most part, except when someone came to quietly check in on them. Gus had finally fallen asleep about forty minutes ago, but Justin was in no rush to go downstairs. He massaged his left shoulder with his right hand, and continued to stare out the window.

What am I going to do about you Ethan, he wondered.

Justin heard the door open quietly, but he didn't bother turning around or paying any attention to the footsteps he heard. _Probably just Lindsay. _

His breath hitched when he felt Brian kiss the back of his head, and a much stronger hand started massaging his shoulders.

Justin didn't say anything, but he leaned back into Brian. He understood why Brian, Melanie and Lindsay had reacted the way they did and he expected neither thanks nor apologies from them, though the two women had offered both. Brian had barely spoken to him when he had been downstairs, but Justin recognized the other man's gesture now for what it was. It struck Justin that the most meaningful things Brian said used no words whatsoever.

"How long has he been asleep?"

"About half an hour, I think. Maybe forty minutes…" Both of them spoke in hushed voices.

"He hasn't been crying though…"

"No…no he hasn't. He's just rattled and too excited and disturbed to sleep soundly for too long…couple of hours and the exhaustion will catch up with him and he'll finally rest properly." Justin was fairly sure that Ethan wouldn't be back to prove him wrong.

They stood like that for several minutes in comfortable silence, until Brian spoke.

"What happened, earlier? Gus was beyond hysterical…how did you do that? How did you know he didn't need a doctor?"

"I just…I just knew."

"You just knew that a screaming, apoplectic baby didn't need medical attention and instead only required fresh air, peace, quiet and a lullaby?"

"I just knew. I spend a lot of time with him Brian. I know Gus." Justin tried to keep his voice causal.

"His mothers spend a lot _more _time with him, I would assume. How come they didn't just 'know'?"

"I guess I'm just special then."

Brian's arm pulled Justin tightly against his chest. Justin felt Brian kiss the back of his head again, and he almost missed what Brian practically whispered into his hair.

"I guess you are."

_No fucking way I'm going to let Ethan ruin this. I'd rather die. _

Gus chortled behind them.

"Did I wake him?" Justin felt Brian loosen his arms as he turned around.

"Nah, he would've gotten up soon anyway…what's up, little guy? Had enough sleeping?"

Both Brian and Justin went to the crib, where Gus mercifully sat looking at them sans tears, waving a stuffed toy at them.

"Ei oh ei oh ei oh"

Brian frowned as Justin picked Gus up. "What does he want?"

"He wants us to sing to him."

"Sing? The Farmer In The Dell?"

Justin laughed. "Please. We have far more refined taste. C'mon Gus, let's show Daddy how to sing…"

Justin started to sing slowly, with Gus smiling in glee and joining in with a mix of vowels and consonants that he must have assumed were the lyrics.

"_Aey oh, let's go_

_Aey oh, let's go_

_Aey oh, let's go_

_Aey oh, let's go_

_They're formin' in a straight line_

_They're goin' through a tight one_

_The kids are losin' their minds_

_The Blitzkrieg bop"_

"_The Ramones? _You're teaching my son to sing songs by _The Ramones_? No adult should even be _listening_ to them, let alone teaching their songs to children!" Brian was struggling not to burst out laughing.

"When I was a kid, I had an old CD player and that's the only song that would play on it. Besides, I like it. _Besides, _your taste is far worse; Farmer In The Dell? _Really?_" Justin tried his best impression of an affronted nobleman.

"It's a nursery rhyme Sunshine; that's what you _normally _sing to babies."

"Ei oh ei oh ei oh ei oh ei oh ei oh" Gus tugged at Justin, reminding him of his duties.

"Your son wants us to sing." Justin winked at Brian. "You can join us for the chorus if it's too difficult for you.

_They're pilin' in the back seat_

_They generate steam heat_

_Pulsatin' to the back beat_

_The Blitzkrieg bop_

_Aey oh, let's go_

_Aey oh, let's go"_

Justin smiled to himself as he heard the laughing, tentative voice of Brian join him.

"_Aey oh, let's go_

_Aey oh, let's go_

_Aey oh, let's go_

_Shoot 'em in the back now_

_What they want? I don't know_

_They're all reaved up and ready to go_

_They're formin' in a straight line_

_They're goin' through a tight one_

_The kids are losin' their minds_

_The Blitzkrieg bop_

_Aey oh, let's go_

_Aey oh, let's go_

_Aey oh, let's go_

_Aey oh, let's go"_

_

* * *

_

Justin was exhausted, but calling in sick was unfortunately not an option. Luckily for him, Gus fell asleep for the final time after eating his dinner. Gus normally was not a fussy eater, but given the events of the day, Justin struggled to feed him; Lindsay had zero luck and Brian and Melanie didn't even bother attempting it.

For the second time in as many days, Justin had dinner at Lindsay and Melanie's before heading to Babylon. He got lucky; Brian took him straight from the women's home to the club.

"What an interesting life you lead Taylor; you discuss mysterious cousins with dead people, you have nosebleeds at the height of summer and you come and go as you please with the Casanova who supposedly never does the same trick twice…you sure you're human?"

Justin made a face at Hunter, and looked around to make sure that no one had heard. The long night was finally over and Travis had just finished briefing them on the themes for the next two weeks. Everyone was changing their clothes or walking out and no one was paying any attention to them, but Justin wasn't taking any chances. Sap had ears everywhere.

"Will you give it a rest? I _told _you; if I could explain what was going on, I would. But if I tried to do that now, you'd just have me committed to an asylum somewhere."

"Uh-huh. What makes you so sure that I'm not trying to get you committed right now? You seem pretty crazy to me as it is."

"Funny. Not." The wheels inside his head started turning. "Are you busy tomorrow?"

Hunter looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Why?"

"Because I figured that I should take your advice, and thought that it might be a good idea if you're there as well."

"I thought it was just women who did things in pairs; should I add gay men to the list? Why do you need me?"

Justin rolled his eyes. Hunter was full of hot air; he really was like Brian sometimes.

"I'm not asking you to go to the bathroom with me, Hunter. Just a small field trip, so to speak. I promise not to bring my makeup with me. Are you saying you can't come? Or won't?"

"What's in it for me?"

"Fine, then don't come." Justin wondered if Hunter would call his bluff; he really didn't want to do these things alone and he had imposed on Daphne more than enough times over the summer.

"I didn't say I wouldn't come; I just want to know what I had to gain from it." This time it was Hunter who rolled his eyes. "Whatever you've got planned, make sure it'll be after eleven; I'm not having my sleep disturbed because of your madcap schemes."

Justin grinned. "Eleven thirty it is."

"And look at that. Cinderella's chariot awaits. Lucky bitch." Justin followed Hunter's line of vision and found himself looking at Brian's jeep parked in its familiar spot outside of Babylon.

Justin was relieved to see that Brian had waited for him. "Shut up, Hunter. You wanna ride? I'm sure Brian can drop you back…"

"I'll pass. I see enough gay porn in there without needing to subject myself to it outside of Babylon."

"Ha ha ha ha…you're such an idiot. Brian and I can behave ourselves for the length of a car ride!"

"Yeah well, don't push your luck Blondie. It _is _Kinney, after all. When he asks you to move in, I'll start accepting the invites."

Justin laughed. "I wouldn't hold my breath for that. I'll see you tomorrow then…and I might be later than eleven thirty. Keep your phone on and I'll call you, ok?"

A snort was the only reply that Justin got.

* * *

"Isn't there a popular psychic on Liberty Avenue?" Hunter quibbled as they walked along downtown Pittsburgh.

"Who, Mysterious Marilyn?"

"Think so. I've heard the guys say that she's pretty good, whatever that means. Why not try him - or is it a her - rather than whatever kook you found on the internet?"

"Because it's Mysterious Marilyn. The fact that I went to her will be all over Liberty Avenue even before I'm finished. Thanks, but no thanks. I prefer someone a bit more incognito."

"Right. So you checked internet reviews for a kook? You've got this right down to a science, haven't you?"

Justin shook his head, and ignored Hunter.

He paused, looking at the narrow staircase wedged between a greasy looking restaurant and a pawn shop. There was a tarot symbol on the door.

"Looks like this is the place. C'mon, let's go."

Hunter looked at the staircase dubiously. "I dunno…this place looks quite dingy."

"Hunter, it's a psychic. She's not going to have her office at the Steel Building. Come _on._"

The two of them made their way up the stairs, and knocked on the glass door that seemed to lead into a foyer. Justin peered inside. He didn't see any candles, crystal balls or anything of the sort. He saw a couch, a small framed picture of Jesus, a statue of some saint on a small altar, a calendar, a petite brunette walking towards the door…Justin immediately took two steps back. He didn't want to appear like an over-eager child. His sudden movement almost knocked Hunter down the stairs.

"Hey, watch it! There isn't much space here."

"Sorry."

"Hallo! Are you my three o'clock?"

"Uh…yeah…I'm…"

"Come in, come in. Is this your friend? Does he want a reading as well?"

Hunter gave a look that said '_if you're a real psychic, you'd know the answer to that' _but kept his mouth shut and merely smiled.

"I'm Justin. This is my friend, Hunter. He's just…uh…here to keep me company."

The woman smiled. "I'm Amara. Come, we shall go inside."

Amara had long brown hair, olive skin and spoke with a slight accent that Justin was unable to place. The room she took them into was not much bigger than the foyer. There was a small table against the wall, with a (presumably) crystal ball in the middle, and two chairs facing each other. There was a slightly bigger table against the adjacent wall, with a picture of Jesus hung on top of it, and statue of a saint in the middle of the table. There were pictures of other icons on the table; Justin couldn't make out if they were of Jesus, the same saint, or something or someone else altogether. There were incense sticks that had been clearly burning for a while, and a single candle had been lit. Another chair was placed in front of the altar.

Hunter stared at the altar, and turned to Amara. "Jesus and the saints? I thought you were a psychic."

"Hunter!"

Amara smiled genially. "Oh, it's ok, I get that all the time. I am a Catholic…it's possible to be a believer in more than one thing." She turned to Justin. "So, what would you like to do today? A crystal ball reading, a palm reading or a tarot reading? Are you having problems in your love life, or maybe with your studies or money troubles?"

Justin tried to recall if Ethan had mentioned something in particular to pick a relevant type of reading, but he couldn't remember anything pertinent.

"How about we start with a general kind of a reading, and if that goes well, we can…uh…pick something more…uh…specific?" Hunter was clearly talking the most logical route available.

"Yeah, that's a good idea…I'd like to do that."

"Ok, so we'll start with a general reading then. I'll do a tarot card reading for you, together with a palm reading. Since it's your first time here, I'm only going to charge you $35 for it. I know you will be satisfied." She indicated that Justin should sit down on of the chairs at the smaller table, and she moved the crystal ball to a side.

Hunter rolled his eyes, and shot a telling look Justin's way.

"Why don't you sit down here?" Amara pulled the chair at the altar and placed it behind Justin, and looked at Hunter.

"Sure. Thanks."

And then the reading began. Amara got the bulk of the facts regarding Justin's past correct, including the bashing as well as Brian. Justin was impressed with her accuracy and ability to describe people and events almost exactly as it had been.

"This man you have lost your heart to…he is older than you? Noticeably so?"

"I guess you could say that."

"He cares about you very much as well. Does he love you?"

"Aren't _you_ supposed to tell us that?" Hunter interjected.

"I am a psychic, not god. Does he love you?"

"I don't know…"

"He holds back; he is a very proud, stubborn man. Difficult also. Not so much with you, though. He has two sides that you see. The sex is also excellent. No problems there." Amara frowned. "I know that this may sound strange, but I see here that you share a child…do you have a child together? Or maybe you have discussed having a child?"

Justin heard Hunter make some kind of noise behind him, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He decided to answer Amara the best he could.

"He has a child that I'm very close to."

"Hmmm…that must be what I am sensing. I could talk to you about your relationship with this man, but that is not why you are here."

Justin nodded, but didn't offer more information. Amara held his hands in both of hers, and closed her eyes. She spoke after almost half a minute, but her eyes were still closed.

"You are…I sense death. There is death around you. Negativity. Strong forces. Harmful forces. It's very dark…broken lives…endings"

Amara suddenly opened her eyes, but she held onto Justin's hands in a vice-like grip.

"You've crossed over…you communicate with them…the power you have…you are stronger than even me."

There were a hundred and one questions that Justin wanted to ask, but he didn't want to push Amara. Justin looked at her, and saw that she had closed her eyes again. She stayed that way for several minutes, and he heard Hunter fidgeting behind him.

"You are being asked to protect the child."

"What?"

"The child; the child is special, the child is important to he whose help you seek. He is asking you to protect the child."

"But _how?_ I have no power, no skill –"

"That which was given to you cannot be taken back."

Justin wasn't sure he was speaking to Amara, or whether she was channeling Joshua. There was no change in her features or voice, but it certainly seemed that Joshua was being channeled.

"But what am I supposed to _do? _How do I stop him?"

"The sacrifice you claim to be willing to make; are you truly ready for it?"

"What –"

Justin felt Amara let go of his hands as she opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry Justin, that's all I have for you…beyond that is a realm I'm not willing to go to…"

Justin stared at her. There was absolute silence from Hunter.

"Listen, Amara, if you can help me, you _have_ to."

"There is a line, beyond which I will not cross. I am here to help people, but I will not go into that darkness for anyone."

"If you won't, then there must be someone who –"

"_No;_ you must not go to others. Do not go to those who don't respect the powers of the universe; people who are willing to go into the darkness do not know what they will bring back with them, despite whatever they may tell you. However bad you feel your situation is now, it will most certainly get worse."

"So…so what are you saying? That there's nothing you can do for me and I shouldn't go to anyone else for help?"

"Well, there _is _something I can do."

Hope surged through Justin. "Oh thank heavens. What can you do?"

"For $970, I can cleanse you of these forces. It will take four consecutive sittings, and I will need the cash up front. But I guarantee you, they will not bother you anymore."

"Does that mean you can get rid of them?"

"Oh no no…I can rid _you _of them; but these spirits will exist and go on doing whatever it is that they want to do. But I can protect you and…"

Justin tuned out the rest of what she was saying. It was becoming painfully apparent that he was on his own on this one.

* * *

**A/N**: Amara's place is based on an actual psychic that I visited, including the various statues and pictures etc.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: **Happy New Year!

Let me start 2011 by thanking everyone who's been reading this and to let people know that it's so nice to read reviews :D

* * *

It was late afternoon, and Justin and Hunter walked quietly towards the Liberty Diner. Hunter was working later that evening, but it was Justin's day off.

It was expected that he'd have to give Hunter some version of the truth sooner or later. In a way, Justin was glad that he had waited this long to do it, because at least now he had the benefit of having other people (even if it was a psychic) corroborate his story in some manner or form.

After the visit to Amara, Hunter had demanded to be clued in and Justin finally obliged. How much of the story Hunter believed, Justin wasn't quite sure. Hunter seemed to feel that the whole lot of them were suffering from mass delusions, but he was willing, at least for now, to play along. There was no denying the fact that Justin had spoken to someone during the séance, and Amara had also referred to other beings – other very _specific_ beings. Skepticism was good, all things considered, Justin supposed. He should be lucky that Hunter hadn't called the paramedics and had him wheeled off to a mental institution.

How much worse could it get, at any rate? Amara hadn't been able to help, and she had explicitly told Justin not to seek out the help of anyone else either. Though Hunter had insisted that it must have been some kind of business ploy to force Justin to shell out $970, Justin could see the truth in what she said. Ethan, Joshua, his own telekinesis…it all seemed ripe for exploitation, especially as he himself was feeling his way in the dark. Plus, who knew what kind of forces were lurking beneath the surface, just waiting for a chance to escape? Justin had enough to deal with in Ethan, and he was in no way interested in multiplying his troubles.

The more Justin thought about it, the more certain he became that either Amara had been channeling Joshua, or that Joshua had somehow been speaking to her, giving her messages to be relayed to Justin.

"I need to buy a Ouija board...I just cannot keep borrowing Emmett's and I want to try and contact Joshua again."

"I dunno...if this Joshua is as powerful as you say, maybe you can speak to him without a board. That woman seemed to do fine without one."

"That woman does this as her full-time job, Hunter. I'm not quite there yet."

Justin checked his cell phone, but he had no messages or calls.

"Didn't you just check that thing five minutes ago? Sheesh. Paranoid much?"

He looked at Hunter sheepishly and put his phone away. It was true; he had called Lindsay several minutes ago, wanting to make sure that Gus was ok.

_The child; the child is special, the child is important to he whose help you seek. He is asking you to protect the child._

Stanley Peterson. Lindsay Peterson. Obviously, it couldn't be mere coincidence. Ethan clearly had a score to settle, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what that was about. Justin wondered if he would have to thwart Ethan on two fronts at the same time, or if Ethan would defer his main mission while he tried to hurt Gus.

Justin formulated some quick plans; since Hunter had nothing better to do, he would ask Hunter to go to City Hall and check the archives on Stanley Peterson, and pretty much Lindsay's entire family tomorrow. The more information he had, the safer he would feel. He would go to Lindsay's earlier than scheduled (unless Ethan got in his way). If Gus was who he thought Gus was, there was a thing or two that Justin wanted to check. Asshole that Joshua was, he clearly felt something for this Stanley Peterson, or else Justin wouldn't have been asked to protect Gus. Joshua had taught Ethan everything; surely he would have done something for Stanley and his family? A trinket? Some kind of amulet perhaps?

Of course, the ideal place to search wasn't Lindsay's house but her parent's house. He wouldn't be able to do it tomorrow, but if Hunter was successful, Justin had a vague idea of how he could maneuver himself into the Peterson residence.

"I thought you wanted to go to the diner Blondie; you're walking right past it."

"Whoops...sorry, just had a lot on my mind. C'mon, let's get something to eat. I'm famished."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "You're always famished."

The two of them walked into the diner.

* * *

Justin made his way to the booth where he saw Michael and Ted, with Hunter following him.

"Hey Justin. Hunter, right?" Michael smiled at both of them, scooting over to make room.

Justin sat down next to Michael, and Hunter sat on the opposite side, next to Ted. He smiled as he saw Brian walk towards them from the counter. Justin couldn't help but think how ridiculously similar he was to a teenage girl when he felt himself grinning as Brian sat down next to him.

"Well, I'm glad the two of you are here." Ted said. "Our resident Babylon experts. Tell me, isn't Sunday the slowest night there?"

"Isn't Sunday the slowest night anywhere?" Hunter sighed. "The tips suck too. I'm gonna have to entertain The Sap pretty soon. This Sunday shift kills me." He looked at Justin. "You better follow suit Blondie, or you'll get stuck with it."

"Here's a thought. Maybe _Blondie_ can pursue other avenues of earning a living and Sap can entertain himself."

"Brian, we've had this conversation before. I'm not some charity case. Babylon pays my bills, including forecasted future expenditure." Justin ignored the look of amused surprise on Michael's face.

Hunter scoffed. "Blondie, first thing I'd do if I were you is hold a yard sale and get rid of those principles of yours. Charity case my foot. Don't you think you need all the help you can get?"

Justin shot daggers at Hunter. "This conversation is getting old."

"Indeed. So how about a new conversation?" Ted looked pointedly at Brian.

"Theodore, I told you. I. Am. NOT. Interested. And I care not how dead Babylon is tonight, because I'm going to Woody's. Will the professor be joining us, Mikey? It's Sunshine's day off - we really should introduce him to the finer establishments of Liberty Avenue. It's not healthy to limit one's knowledge exclusively to Babylon like this."

Justin beamed and leaned over to kiss Brian, pulling away only when Hunter started throwing french fries at them. Justin stuck his tongue out at Hunter before turning to Brian.

"What does Ted want you to do?"

"Theodore is an idiot. He wanted me to do something so boring that my brain cells died just listening to him."

Michael laughed and Justin looked at Ted, hoping for clarification.

"There's a piano and violin recital at the Heinz Hall tonight. Your cousin got us tickets. Em is - "

"_What?_" Justin froze, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Hunter stop mid-bite to stare at Ted.

"Your cousin. Ethan. He got tickets. He told us yesterday, when I dropped him from Mel & Lindz' place. I asked the girls, but they want to stay in with Gus, Ben said that he had to prepare for an early lecture and Michael refuses to come...and that just leaves me with -"

"Certainly not myself as your last choice. I'd rather watch paint dry." Brian looked bored just talking about it.

_What was Ethan planning now?_ It was useless to wonder where Ethan had got tickets from; it was Ethan after all. He wouldn't be surprised if Ethan had plucked the tickets out of thin air. Justin wondered if the show was just a ruse. It _had _to be; Ethan was planning something, Justin could feel it in his bones.

Michael was giggling. "Doesn't Justin do that as his profession?"

"I paint, Michael. I don't watch it dry!"

Michael laughed some more. "You're so touchy about it your work, just like Ben. Seriously though, Ted, a recital sounds so boring."

"It's culture!"

"Give it another three days and Mikey will also have some culture - it'll just be living inside a milk carton in his fridge."

"Asshole!" Michael reached across Justin to swat Brian.

Ted eyed Justin with renewed interest. "I'm so stupid, why didn't I think of you first? Justin, why don't you join us?"

"Yeah..._no_. I don't think so. Why does anyone have to go?"

"Because there are two tickets, and I can't go alone. That's just..._wrong._" Ted looked at Justin as if he were an idiot.

"So gay men _are_ like women."

"Hunter,_ not_ now." Justin hissed.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

Justin felt queasy as he looked at Ethan, who had just arrived. Once again, the man was dressed in clothes from Justin's wardrobe, except that they were in different shades. Justin involuntarily moved closer to Brian, eliciting a subtle smirk from Ethan.

"Ethan! We were just talking about you. Why don't you join us?" Ted's eyes were sparkling.

Don't I have enough to worry about without adding Ted to the mix, Justin thought as he groaned inwardly. The man was so obviously smitten that it would have amusingly pathetic, had Justin not known how dangerous it was.

"There's no room for him to join us." Hunter gave a cursory glance at Ethan before addressing Ted. "I'm not getting all cramped up like a sardine in a can."

"That's all right. I will stand. You must be Hunter. Justin has told me all about you."

Hunter opened his mouth to speak, but Justin kicked him under the table. Subtlety clearly wasn't one of Hunter's stronger suits. But Justin's warnings to Hunter proved wholly unnecessary, because Ethan's attention was otherwise occupied.

"Who will be joining me for the concert this evening, Ted? Brian?"

Brian looked at Ethan, ready to speak, but didn't say anything. Or perhaps he _couldn't _say anything.

Justin saw it happen, but was powerless to do anything about it. Ethan locked eyes with Brian, and rested his hand on Brian's shoulder. Justin couldn't see Brian's face, but he saw Ethan's, and he recognized the look on the face of his nemesis. It was the same look he wore before channeling Justin's energy; it was the last thing Justin was used to seeing before he passed out.

He felt his blood turning to water. What was Ethan doing to Brian? Justin dug his nails into Brian's arm, but the other man showed no signs of cognition.

_P__lease please please…_

"Brian? Will you be joining us?"

"Yes."

Hunter stared at Justin, eyes as wide as saucers.

Ted's jaw dropped open as Michael spluttered. "What the fuck, Brian? Didn't you just say…I thought we were taking Justin to Woody's?"

Brian looked at Michael blankly. "What?"

Justin felt tears of frustration threatening to spill, and he had to avert his head lest Brian, and more importantly Ethan, saw him. What the fuck was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to protect the people he loved?

"_What_ 'what'? You are _such _a dick." Michael shook his head in disgust and Justin felt Michael pat him on the knee gently.

"So…you're coming?" Ted clearly couldn't believe what was happening. His eyes darted around the table, waiting for someone to start laughing at him for falling for the joke.

Brian looked and sounded confused as he answered. "Uh…yes, I think I am."

_Fuck. _Was Brian in a trance? Had Ethan hypnotized him? Justin looked at Brian, and saw the residue of a familiar powder on Brian's shoulder, where Ethan's hand had been moments ago.

_Think, _Justin_. _Do something. Snap him out of it. Do _something._

"We mustn't be late. If we leave now, there will be just enough time for us to dress suitably and arrive on time."

Ted nodded eagerly at Ethan and pulled his wallet out, signaling their imminent departure. Brian was still looking dazed.

"Brian?"

"Yes?"

Shit, Brian didn't even sound like himself, and Justin was running out of time. He had to do break this trance, and he had to do it _now_. In another two minutes, Brian would be walking out of the diner.

Justin glanced around the table and his mind registered Michael sipping his coffee, muttering under his breath.

_I'm so sorry, Michael. Please forgive me._

He blinked.

"AAAAAAGGGHHH!"

The coffee cup Michael was holding exploded, spilling the dark liquid across the table, followed by remnants of the cup. Several pieces of ceramic were inexplicably embedded in Michael's hand, with blood gushing freely.

"_Fuck! Mother fucking…ooooowww_!" Michael was wincing in pain.

Everyone was speaking at the same time as they scooted out of the booth, and Debbie came running to see what had happened.

"Michael!"

"The hell just happened?"

"Are you ok?"

"Jesus, what the fuck happened?"

"_Mikey! Fuck…_are you all right? We need to get you to the hospital! C'mon…easy there."

As bad as Justin felt about what he had done, he almost collapsed with relief as the spell broke and Brian snapped back into reality.

"Brian, you make sure he's not hurt, ok? You call me and let me know how he is, you hear? Don't move your hand Michael, it'll make it worse. Shall I come with you? I think I should come. Teddy, are you going with them? Sunshine? What the fuck happened? Michael, how bad does it hurt? Can you feel your fingers? Brian, you better call me and let me know…" Debbie was talking a mile a minute.

"I'll go with them, Deb. I promise I'll call you." It was the least Justin could do; after all, Michael wouldn't be needing stitches if not for Justin. Not that anyone knew that. Except for Ethan.

Justin felt the cold glare on his back as he followed Michael and Brian out of the diner, with Ted close behind.

Brian was safe. For now.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews, theories, alerts...it was a fabulous start to 2011!

And **Xrifree**, thanks a ton for helping sort this chapter out; it would never have got written if not for you unravelling the plot for me! Magically sending perfect headboards your way! :D

* * *

"Since when do I have coffee?"

Justin leaned across the kitchen counter to kiss Brian. "Since I decided to buy some. Your espresso machine was crying, begging to be used."

"I'll just bet." Brian accepted the coffee with a roll of his eyes. "What time did you wake up? Did the alarm go off at all?"

Justin shrugged, turning his back to Brian. "I woke up just before you did. I don't remember hearing the alarm."

In fact, he had woken up a good two hours or so before Brian; the tension in his body had refused to let him sleep for too long. It had been Justin who, after quietly creeping out of bed, had switched Brian's alarm off. He wanted to snoop in relative peace. First thing he had done was go through Brian's phone, checking the calendar for his schedule for the week. Justin couldn't be at two places at the same time, and he wanted to know who, between Gus and Brian, would need his attention the most at any given point. Brian seemed busy for the next couple of days; Justin noted several meetings and two presentations. Beyond that though, he would have to wing it.

"Don't think I'll have time for the diner. You good for breakfast?"

Justin nodded. For once, food was the last thing on his mind.

"I can drop you somewhere if you want to grab a bite; or you can sleep in and leave whenever you want to…"

"No, I have a busy day. I'll leave with you and get breakfast on the way."

Brian looked at his watch and cursed. "Shit, I wanted to check on Mikey as well…"

"Don't worry; I called him just before you woke up. He's at Ben's place and Ben said that Michael was doing pretty ok."

"You know, I'm still not sure what happened yesterday. How on earth did Michael cut himself so bad with a coffee cup?"

Justin shrugged, shaking his head. There was no honest way to answer that question. It was to his benefit that question was in all likelihood rhetorical.

"I have no clue either…so weird…I'm just glad that he's ok…and poor Deb, she was so worried." It was surely illegal to lie so much with such little effort.

"Who can blame her? The whole afternoon just seemed surreal to me."

Justin had no doubt as to why. "I thought I'd go see Michael in the afternoon with Gus…I don't think Mel or Lindsay will mind."

"Nah, they won't. I'm sure Michael would appreciate you dropping by as well. Tell him I'll come see him in the evening. Too much shit's happening at work; I don't think I'll be able to get away during the day."

Warning bells immediately went off inside Justin's head.

"So I guess I won't see you at Babylon this evening then?" He was compelled to be at Babylon every evening; if Brian chose not to turn up there, Justin was well and truly out of luck.

"Doubt it. Knowing Michael, the furthest he'll want to venture is from his bed to the couch."

If Brian wasn't going to be at Babylon, how was he supposed to keep an eye on him? _Fuck…_Brian would be at Michael's, and Ethan would just be several storeys below… Justin was too busy trying to rearrange his plans that he didn't notice the look Brian gave him.

"Disappointed?"

"What? I…no, I just thought…"Justin fumbled over his words.

The ringing of Justin's phone put a halt to the conversation.

"Hello?" He didn't bother checking the caller ID before he answered.

"_Justin, honey? Happy Birthday!"_

"Mom…hey…" Justin couldn't believe it. Amidst all the drama, he had actually managed to forget his own birthday. Jesus. What had his life turned into? He glanced at Brian, who looked at him with concern.

_Problem?_ Brian mouthed.

_Nothing. Just saying hello,_ he mouthed back in reply.

"_Justin, sweetheart, are you there?"_

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I just woke up…"

"_I thought Molly and I could take you out for lunch today…or is dinner better for you? And maybe we could catch the exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art and do some shopping…my baby's turning eighteen…we should do something special."_

"Uh…" Justin tried to think. He _had _to sort Gus out today, somehow. Who knew how long that would take? And dinner was out of the question. "Mom, I'm really busy this week with work and babysitting and some projects I've taken on…how about…Saturday? Why don't I meet you Saturday for lunch, and…and we can…we can do all that then?"

"_Oh…"_ Jennifer sounded disappointed and the guilt Justin was feeling over hurting Michael increased as he had to add his poor unsuspecting mother to the list of casualties.

"_Well, if you're sure about it…I was hoping to see you sometime today…"_

"I'm really sorry Mom…I'm just really short on time right now. Saturday. I promise." He'd simply have to ask Hunter to keep an eye on Brian.

"_Well, I hope you're at least doing something nice with Daphne…you're just eighteen…you need to have some fun."_

Justin couldn't help snorting. "Yeah…I'm having a whale of a time. Listen Mom, I gotta…"

"_Wait, Molly wants to wish you a Happy Birthday."_

He had to spend another five minutes on the phone with Molly, carefully selecting his words, before he could hang up.

Brian looked at Justin in silence for several moments before he spoke. "I'll loan you the money."

"Huh?"

"Your PIFA tuition."

"Brian –"

"Look at you, Justin. You have dark circles around your eyes. You work every waking minute of the day, and then some. You want to spend time with your friends, but you can't. You're working. Your mother wants to have lunch with you – when's the last time you even saw her? – but you're too busy working. Face it Sunshine; the only times that you manage to see even me is when I don't have an early morning the next day. And I _know _how badly you want to spend more time here."

"Brian…" Justin was _not_ ready to deal with this right now.

"Am I wrong? And what when your classes start? How do you plan to juggle that schedule with Babylon? You're not redoing the Sistine chapel Justin; you're a fucking gogo dancer. It's not a respectable job by any stretch of the imagination and will do absolutely fucking zilch for your career as an artist."

Justin took a deep breath, trying to think of a way to formulate his reply. There were so many things inside his head vying for attention that he could barely string together one sentence that made sense.

Brian had walked into the bedroom, and came out seconds later with his blazer in hand. "And when you start your classes, I'll bet twenty to one that it's going to be Gus who loses the most."

"I would _never _do –"

"No? Then I suggest you give some thought as to how you foresee your time being spent post-January. _Serious _thought. Here's the deal. I'll pay your tuition. You can pay me back once you graduate and get proper fucking job."

Justin opened his mouth to reply but Brian cut him off.

"Don't talk to me about this until you give it some serious thought. Pay me back with interest if it'll make your misplaced pride feel better. Now let's go; I have no intention of testing the speed limits just to get to work on time."

* * *

Having to let Sap blow you – repeatedly – wasn't how Justin envisioned his eighteenth birthday being spent. But he needed a schedule that was agreeable to him, and even more importantly, he needed to get Sap to agree to a salary advance. This running about from pillar to post, eating out all the time and the money he would soon have to shell out left him with precious few options.

After guaranteeing that his shifts would remain unchanged and picking up the much needed cash, Justin headed back to his own apartment. He was mortally afraid of running into Ethan, but mercifully, the violinist was nowhere to be found when Justin arrived. He chose not to tempt fate, however; he threw a towel and a fresh change of clothes into a duffle bag and left as fast as he possibly could. There were plenty of other places where he could change his clothes; he had already showered at Brian's.

He then went over to Lindsay & Melanie's place, way ahead of schedule. He asked Lindsay if he could take Gus to see Michael, and was relieved when she acquiesced without any fuss. She would leave by three o'clock for her class anyway, so Justin fortunately didn't have to stick to a specific time. _Now I need excuses for only two more days._

It was a good thing that Michael was staying with Ben for now; Justin had been wary of taking Gus anywhere close to his own building because Ethan might have been lurking around. As it was, they spent a peaceful hour at Ben's place before Justin made more excuses and left with Gus. There was just one more place left.

"When I said protection, I meant protection for _you_, not some baby…" Amara, the psychic, was looking at Justin with a slightly exasperated expression.

"You said you can rid me of the spirits and protect me…I just want you to do it for Gus instead. Look, I have the money. All of it. Cash. Just please…_please_…make sure that Gus will be safe." Justin's voice cracked.

"It is not the money…he is so young…" Amara looked at the now sleeping Gus uncertainly.

"I just…please, you have to help me protect him." Tears of frustration were threatening to spill. "Believe me, if I had anyone else to ask, I would have…"

Amara sighed deeply, and muttered to herself before she spoke to Justin. "Very well then. I will do my best. I will make no promises though."

He spent the next hour there with Gus, while Amara did the needful. As much as he wanted to investigate Stanley Peterson more, Justin knew that he was running short of time and what he had to take was immediate action. Ethan would do _something_; last night had made that apparent. Justin sighed. He needed to speak to Joshua again. There must be a reason as to why Ethan hadn't taken Brian already; if he could figure out what that was, maybe he could find a way out of this mess?

Whatever it was, he needed a plan. Soon.

* * *

"So Blondie finally comes of age; about time I suppose."

Justin smiled at Hunter, as they walked towards Babylon. Daphne had called Justin in the afternoon, insisting that they have some sort of celebration for his birthday. Given the risk of Ethan back at his own apartment and the fact that Justin had needed to meet Hunter on Stanley Peterson and the former's trip to the archives, Justin had ended up taking Daphne to Hunter's place. He had a quiet but enjoyable time. Justin had never been as grateful as he was now for having friends that he could depend on.

"So, are you and Kinney doing anything _special_ tonight? What did he get you?"

"Brian doesn't know that it's my birthday."

"It's official then. You must be, without doubt, the stupidest eighteen year old in all of Pittsburgh. Why wouldn't you tell him?"

"What for? It's not like I expect anything from him and –"

"Fool, birthdays are the _perfect_ reason to expect things from others. Especially others who mint money."

Justin sighed. "Stop being so mercenary, Hunter! Besides, Brian has done plenty and more for me –"

"And you kind of saved his life yesterday, didn't you?"

There was a slight pause to the conversation as they walked into Babylon, giving perfunctory greetings to Sap and Travis and somewhat more genuine ones to fellow colleagues as they made their way to the changing rooms, which afforded them more privacy.

"Yes well, his life wouldn't really need saving if not for me…I'm the genius who brought Ethan to life, so…"

"Aah, yes, I forgot. Makes sense I suppose that the stupidest eighteen year old alive used to be the stupidest seventeen year old that was alive." Hunter laughed at his own joke, though Justin merely rolled his eyes.

"I'm glad you find all this so amusing."

"Well, someone's got to. Dude, you get to move things around by just thinking about it! That thing with the coffee cup –fuck man, that's just awesome! Can you imagine pulling stunts like that in here? You know, when this shit with Ethan is over, you totally have to do something like that…like an exploding disco ball on top of Sap's head!"

"_If _we somehow manage to contain this shit with Ethan, you can rest assured that _nothing _will be exploding over Sap – or anyone else's – head. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"You are _so _boring Justin. What does Kinney even see in you?"

"My boyish charm, incredible ass and unsurpassed ability to give head like no one else. Or, you can ask him the next time you see him."

Justin grinned as he made his way out onto the floor.

* * *

Hunter's research had confirmed what Justin suspected; Gus indeed was a direct descendant of Stanley Peterson. How he was going to use that information to his advantage, Justin still had no idea. What Gus should have been, was a direct descendant of Joshua. That would have made my hand a helluva lot stronger, he thought.

He already planned to use a bogus excuse of a play date to take Gus back to Amara's place tomorrow, but he didn't want to speak to Joshua while Gus was around, so that would have to wait until he dropped Gus back to Lindsay. There just weren't enough hours in the day to do everything that he needed to do.

Justin looked in surprise as he found Hunter next to him.

"Hunter? Aren't you supposed to be dancing near Gary tonight?"

"Fuck Gary. Kinney is here. With Ethan."

"_What?" _Justin stared at Hunter in horror. "No, Brian said he was going to be with Michael tonight…he said…"

"_Fuck_ what he said. He's _here_. Now. With Ethan. I saw them on the dance floor…not that that dipshit can dance…you have to do something!"

_Shit. _He was caught unawares. Again. What could he do? What was Ethan planning? How was -

"Kinney. How nice of you to join us."

Brian was standing in front of them, looking more than inebriated. Justin noticed the glazed look in his eyes, and he had a sickening suspicion that it had very little to do with either alcohol or drugs.

"Just saying hello to Sunshine here."

"Brian, you're supposed to be with Michael…"

"Try 'happy birthday' instead." Hunter spoke at the same time Justin did.

"It's your birthday?" Something behind the glazed eyes might have glimmered. Or maybe it was Justin's imagination.

"You should be taking him out for dinner somewhere and showering him with gifts and celebrating, not dancing with that no-good cousin of his."

"Anybody can get born, even you. Only thing worth celebrating is achievement."

Justin was amazed that Brian managed to remain coherent despite the alcohol, drugs and black magic. Hunter, on the other hand, continued to glare at Brian.

"Only thing worth celebrating is achievement, huh? Well, how's this for achievement? Yesterday, by just a blink of an eye, _Sunshine _here managed to –"

"_Hunter!" _Justin shot him a look of warning that mercifully managed to silence him. "Brian, what are you doing here? Weren't you going to stay in with Michael? Shouldn't you be at his place?"

"Mikey's place is boooring…besides, Ethan wanted to see where you worked. Where is that man, anyway?" Brian looked around, but it was extremely doubtful that whatever he saw registered in his brain. "He was here a minute ago. "

"Listen, Brian –"

"_Hunter! Taylor! _Do either of you have _any_ plans on doing the job that you're being paid to do?" Sap walked up to Brian, glaring at all three of them. "Neither of you are on a break either. This isn't even your spot, Hunter. Move, _now_. Save your personal chitchat for later."

_Fuck. _Now Brian would disappear into the crowd and who knew what Ethan had planned…what was he supposed to do now? His worried eyes met Hunter's, and he knew that Hunter was thinking the same thing.

Sap thumbed his index finger into Brian's chest. "Kinney, go find somebody else to fuck; my dancers are not being paid to entertain their boyfriends. Hunter, do I have to ask you again to get back to your place?"

Justin's heart leapt to his throat as Brian started to stumble away.

"_Brian! Brian!"_

"For fuck's sake Taylor…"

Justin ignored Sap, and looked straight at Brian, who had turned around when he heard Justin's voice.

"Please…just don't sleep with Ethan. Anyone but him. Please?"

The only reply he got was a wink from Brian.

* * *

Justin lost Brian in the crowd almost as soon as the older man walked away. It was a busy night, and he could barely even see Hunter at the other end. To make matters worse, Sap was keeping a close eye on him. Fuck fuck _fuck!_

As soon as Travis signaled the start of his break, Justin practically leapt down from his place to go look for Brian. But the man was nowhere to be found. Not at the bar, not on the dance floor, not in the backroom…

"Hey Taylor."

Justin glanced at Todd, who was walking into the backroom.

"Todd, have you seen Brian?"

"I saw him at the bar but that was a while ago. You better go handle Hunter before he gets into trouble with Sap."

"Hunter? Why, what's going on?"

"He's out back, arguing with some guy…he slugs a customer and Sap will fire him on the spot, you know."

"_Fuck!_"

Justin sprinted to the back. He had absolutely no doubt that the guy Hunter was fighting with was Ethan. But he never made it to the back; Ethan stopped him at the door.

"Ethan, what the fuck have you done?"

"You really should be more worried about what I am about to do." Ethan gave him a grotesque smile. "I'm not surprised, however, that you are two steps behind."

"Where's Brian? Where's Hunter?"

"Brian is safe…for now. As for your troublesome friend, he is…resting. In a manner of speaking, of course."

Justin felt the blood pounding in his ears. "What have you done to Hunter?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself, Justin?"

Even as the other man moved, Justin knew what was going to happen next. He felt Ethan grab his shoulders, and the darkness engulfed him.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **Aaah, where would I be without** Xrifree**? More importantly, where would this story be? As always, thanks a ton! :)

I'll wait for my treat for finishing this chapter ;)

Many thanks also to **Albiku**, who helped with Hunter's diagnosis. You were great! (and all mistakes are obviously mine)

* * *

Todd and Travis had found Justin near the backdoor earlier, and after managing to wake him, together they had walked out back, where an unconscious Hunter was lying on the ground. Despite all of Justin's efforts, Hunter couldn't be resuscitated and luckily Todd had the presence of mind to dial 911 without wasting any more time. Travis had informed Sap, who, as Hunter's immediate employer, was forced to go to the hospital. A tearful, frantic Justin had had to take a cab, only to find that Sap wasn't even there when he arrived.

Hunter had been rushed into the ER and Justin had been sitting, waiting for over two hours to hear something. It was almost three in the morning. A nurse had informed him that they were running blood and urine tests on Hunter, as well as a HIV test (despite Justin plainly telling them what the result would be) and other STD tests. She had also mentioned something about trying to find toxics – or toxins; Justin's brain had stopped processing information at that point so he wasn't even sure which word she used, much less what the tests even meant. He sat in the waiting area, head buried in his hands.

Justin had tried calling Brian, who answered once, mumbling incoherently into the phone before disconnecting the call. He was exhausted and sick with worry. He felt too tired to even cry. He had almost called Lindsay and Melanie, just to make sure that Gus was alright. What the _fuck_ had Ethan done?

"I take it that he's still alive." Justin looked up in surprise when he heard Sap's voice.

"Yeah…yeah…of course…the nurse said they were running some tests on him…I don't know what's –"

"Do you think I give a flying fuck how he is? He's not dead, so I'm not liable. That's all I wanted to know. Taylor, I've had just about enough from you and Hunter tonight. More trouble than you're worth, you pair of fucking morons. Whenever you're done here, you can pick up your shit from the club. Hunter's as well. You're both fired."

Sap spun on his heels and left, leaving an incredulous Justin to stare after him. Fan-fucking-tastic, Justin thought. This night just got better and better.

Even though it was futile, he tried dialing Brian's number again, only to have it go to voice mail. _Brilliant._

"Are you here for Mr. Montgomery?"

Justin looked up to see a tall African-American gentleman looking at him, clipboard in hand. _Dr. Wilkins, _his badge read. Finally, someone with answers.

"I'm Justin Taylor. Is Hunter going to be ok? What's wrong with him? Can I see him? What happened –"

The doctor smiled at him reassuringly, and Justin fleetingly wondered if they taught doctors how to smile in med school. They all always gave you the same smile, no matter what the news was.

"I'm Dr. Wilkins. Are you a relative of Mr. Montgomery's?"

"I'm…his cousin." _What's another lie on top of everything else I've told so far? _"Is Hunter – that is – is he ok?"

"Mr. Montgomery seems to have suffered a small seizure, but he is stable now."

"_A seizure?_ But…how…I mean…why…?" Justin struggled to focus on the doctor and not on the hysterical thoughts that were milling about inside his head. A seizure?

"Well, we think that the seizure was triggered by the HIV infection…however, that normally happens only when the patient actually has AIDS, which is not the case with Mr. Montgomery. I've asked some further tests to be done – a lumbar puncture and a CT scan – so that we can determine what caused the seizure."

Justin had already made his own diagnosis. _Fucking Ethan._

"Of course…Doctor, can I go see him now? Is he awake?"

"Actually, Mr. Montgomery seems to have hit his head when he fell; he is also suffering from a concussion. You can see him for a few minutes, but I would prefer it if you could let him rest as much as possible."

"Sure…I won't take too long with him" Justin could only imagine how worried Hunter would be when he woke up, and even if it was another lie, he wanted assure Hunter that everything was ok.

"Mr. Taylor, has anyone called Mr. Montgomery's immediate family? His parents, perhaps?"

"Parents? Uh…they're…in Mexico…on vacation…I left them a message at the hotel, so they'll probably be calling me as soon as they get it." I could beat Pinocchio any day, he thought.

Dr. Wilkins gave him look, but Justin managed to hold steady and not flinch.

"I see. You can see the patient for a few minutes now."

He managed to speak to Hunter for about ten minutes. Hunter had been even more exhausted than Justin, but he did manage to confirm Justin's suspicions; the last thing Hunter remembered was arguing with Ethan before he had lost consciousness. For all the tests the doctors were running, both men knew _exactly_ what had caused the seizure.

Justin had assured Hunter that Brian was fine, but he knew that even as the other man drifted off to sleep, Hunter had known that Justin was lying. Since the nurse informed him that the tests they were running would take at least another hour, Justin decided to go collect their things from Babylon. Sooner or later he would have to go and bring Hunter a change of clothes, and he couldn't do that without Hunter's house keys.

It was half past four in the morning when Justin came back to the hospital from Babylon. He was tempted to detour to both Brian's and Hunter's apartments, but Justin decided to head back to the hospital. Who knew what the fuck else Ethan had done to Hunter? Fortunately, Dr. Wilkins was waiting for him with the test results.

"Mr. Taylor, at this point, we're not sure what caused Mr. Montgomery's seizure. The test results came back normal; as did the blood work. Frankly, I'm at a loss."

"So does that mean that Hunter can go home? That he's ok?" Justin's hopes rose at the thought of at least a part of this nightmare coming to an end.

"I would like to keep Mr. Montgomery here for several hours more; he needs to be monitored to make sure that there are no complications because of the concussion. If he responds well, I see no reason as to why he needs to stay here for more than a day at the most."

Justin opened his mouth to talk, but Dr. Wilkins silenced him as he continued to speak.

"Given the circumstances however, he will have to be released into the custody of someone who would be able to watch him closely for twenty four hours; he suffered from a seizure as well as a concussion, and though the tests are inconclusive at this point, we cannot afford to take any chances.

He'll also have to come in to meet with a neurologist, get an ECG done and…but I can go over those details when he is being released. Mr. Taylor, will you be the one who will be taking responsibility for him?"

* * *

Justin ran up the stairs, two at a time. He had taken a cab – the night was full cab rides, it seemed – from the hospital. He couldn't have Hunter released into his custody – between Ethan and Gus and Brian, Justin wouldn't have the time to look after Hunter. Besides which, he had to keep Hunter as far away from himself as physically possible; he was fairly certain that Ethan wouldn't be so gentle next time he ran into Hunter, which would be sooner than later if the two of them wound up together.

Justin desperately wanted to be out looking for Brian and making sure that he was all right, but he knew that he had to make sure that Hunter would be ok first. If Brian was with Ethan – or worse, if Ethan had done something to Brian – there was no telling where Justin would end up, what would happen to him or how long it would be before Justin was able to go back and check on Hunter. He owed it to Hunter. Not only had Hunter helped him over and above the call of friendship, he would never have ended up with a seizure and a concussion if not for Justin.

He had briefly contemplated his mother before it struck him that there was no way that Craig Taylor would keep a HIV positive man under his roof, even the person _was _straight. Melanie and Lindsay were automatically disqualified because of Gus, and Justin kept Debbie as a last option. He didn't want to add to her list of responsibilities when she was already looking after Vic. That just left him with just one more choice among his limited social circle.

Justin had been here only once, but he was pretty sure that he was at the right door as he started pounding and ringing the door bell at the same time.

"All right all right, I'm coming…_Justin?_" A bleary-eyed Ben stared at him, taking Justin's tear-stained, frazzled appearance.

"Ben, I…" Words failed him.

"What's wrong? Come on in…what happened? Is it Brian? Did something happen to Brian?"

"Brian's…it isn't Brian." At least he knew that Brian was awake, but he wasn't ready to say that Brian was ok without seeing for himself. The thought of Ethan actually harming Brian had fresh tears pouring down his face.

"Hey, hey…whatever it is, we'll sort it out ok?" Ben put his arm around Justin, attempting to soothe him, but the overwhelming sense of guilt, frustration and worry of the evening was too much for Justin. He turned into Ben, sobbing. Justin was crying so hard that he didn't feel Ben gently steer him onto the sofa. Ben hugged the younger man, patiently waiting for Justin calm down on his own before attempting to say anything.

"I'm…I'm sorry…I…it's just…"

"Relax…just take your time. I'm going to go and get you some tea, and then we can deal with whatever it is. Don't you worry about anything."

He nodded to Ben, who gingerly left him to go into the kitchen. Justin gulped in air, trying to stem his tears and get his breathing under control. He couldn't breakdown like this; Brian and Hunter needed him. _Be strong, Justin._

By the time Ben came back with two cups of tea, Justin had sufficiently composed himself to talk coherently.

"It's Hunter. My friend. From Babylon."

"Hunter…he dances there as well, right? I've seen him around at the clinic, and Michael's mentioned him…"

"Hunter's sick…he's in hospital."

"Has his T-cell count dropped?"

Ben frowned and Justin cursed his inability to tell the story properly so that it could be easily understood, but his mind was all over the place. He wasn't even sure that the words he was saying were the same ones that were forming inside his head.

"No…I don't know…I don't think so…he had a seizure tonight…at Babylon…they took him to Allegheny General…the doctor says he has a concussion too…"

"A _seizure?_"

"The doctor thinks it was a seizure, but they don't know…or they know it's a seizure but they don't know what caused it…I don't know…I think that's what they said…he also had a concussion. He's hit his head. When he fell, I think when he had the seizure…"

The more Justin tried to make sense, the more he ended up babbling. "Ben, the hospital says that they have to release him into the custody of someone who'll take responsibility for him and look after him…at least for now…for the next twenty four hours at least…and they wanted to tell his family but his mom hates him…Hunter ran away years ago…"

"Justin –"

"…and I have to help him, but I can't take care of him…and I have no money…Sap fired both of us for being too much trouble…and…"

"Shhh…relax, Justin, don't worry."

"Ben, I'm sorry, I know this isn't your problem, but I don't know who else to ask…if you can at least suggest someone…"

"Hey, I told you, don't worry about it. There is absolutely no need to look for anybody else. Now just finish your tea while I go get dressed, and then we're going to go to the hospital and I'll take care of things from there, ok? Hunter can stay with me. Michael and I will look after him."

Relief washed over Justin when he heard Ben's words, and he hugged the other man, fresh tears making their way down his face.

"Oh Ben, thank you _so_ much…I know you don't have to do this…thank you…you have no idea how –"

"Justin, you don't have to thank me. He's my blood."

* * *

Together with Ben, they went right back to the hospital, where Ben successfully posed as Hunter's uncle. Predictably, when Hunter woke up, he objected to whole charade (and to being looked after) and it took Justin all his talent to convince Hunter that under the circumstances, neither of them had much choice except to play along.

Justin's initial plan was to leave Ben in charge of Hunter while he went to check on Brian, but a short conversation with Hunter ended up changing his plans.

"Hunter, as soon as Ben comes back, I'm going to go look for Brian, ok?" Justin rolled his eyes as Hunter pulled a face. "Look, I know you don't like the arrangement, and I'm really sorry, but you know that it's for the best. Just a couple of days ok, until we figure something out?" Justin hated it when his voice took on a needling, whiny quality, but there was little he could do to stop it.

"Whatever, Blondie. I could _kill _that asshole, if he wasn't already dead." Hunter sighed and motioned for some water before he spoke again. "I don't think you should go to Kinney's now."

"_What?_ Hunter, I spent the whole fucking night here; I don't know where Brian is, if he's ok or –"

"I'm sorry to say this, but whatever Ethan was going to do to Brian, he would have already done it by now. The fuckwit certainly had enough time. You waited this long, you can wait a few more hours before you look for him."

Justin exhaled, trying to understand what Hunter was saying. "Do you want me to stay with you longer? Is that it? Or are you really not comfortable with Ben?"

"Idiot. Not me." Hunter sighed. "That fiddler could have killed me, and I just spoke to him."

Justin raised his eyebrows. "Is that what you call it?"

Hunter ignored him. "The worst that is going to happen to Brian would have already happened. You going now won't change anything. Make sure Gus is ok. Do that whole charm voodoo mumbo jumbo whatever. That woman said four sittings?"

Justin nodded mutely.

"And you've gone only once?"

More nodding.

"Save whoever you can."

* * *

When Justin had looked at the time and realized that it was nine thirty, it struck him that he had been awake for over twenty four hours, and the last meal that he had had was ten hours ago. He was running on pure adrenaline, and Justin was nowhere close to being finished.

As unwilling as he had been to admit it, Hunter was right. Logically speaking, Brian was already way past the danger zone. It made more sense to do what he could for Gus first. Plus, going to Amara's meant the chance to try and speak to Joshua; he didn't have time for Ouija boards anymore.

Too scared to go to his own apartment, he had gone to Hunter's apartment instead. Ben had also come, to pick up essentials for Hunter. Justin knew he couldn't turn up looking like a vagabond to Lindsay's place, so he showered at Hunter's and wore some of the other man's clothes. Size and style were the least of his worries.

He had made up an excuse about a play date with the child of one of his mother's friends that he supposedly met the previous day, and even though Lindsay had been more difficult to persuade today than she had been yesterday, Justin had managed to convince her.

He sat quietly now, as Amara did her cleansing ritual over Gus. He closed his eyes, wondering if any of this would work, or whether he was being played for a first class fool by the psychic. He sighed involuntarily. It didn't really matter; until he could come up with a better plan, he would have to go with what he had.

"Two more sessions are left, but he is mostly cleansed and protected even now…will you be coming this early tomorrow as well?" Amara was looking at him expectantly, and Justin realized that he had not been paying any attention.

"Tomorrow? I have no idea what time I'll be here…after three o'clock, I think. Listen, before I go, I need to speak to him."

"Him?"

"Joshua…that man…spirit…whatever. That guy you channeled last time, the one whose messages you relayed."

"But that was when I was doing a reading…this really is not what I normally –" Amara was frowning, a familiar expression now when it came to Justin.

"Normal? You're a _psychic. _I'm sitting here at ten in the morning with a baby! Does anything here seem _normal _to you? I _really _need to speak to him. I'm not asking you; I'm _telling_ you. I'm can't leave until you this."

Amara sighed deeply, probably cursing Justin in her thoughts, but she agreed to do it. Justin insisted that she wait till he managed to put Gus to sleep; it was bad enough that he had to do this with Gus here, Justin had to at least make sure that he witnessed as few of the goings on as possible.

"You are safe…the child is safe…this is good."

That had to be Joshua, though it was Amara who was speaking. She was grasping Justin's hands firmly in her own.

"Good? How is this good? Brian could be dead, Hunter is in hospital…this isn't good!"

"Is your safety not paramount?"

"The safety of the people I love is what is _paramount. _Has he taken Brian?"

Amara paused before replying, and in that pause, Justin saw his entire life flash before his eyes.

"It is only a matter of time now before he does…you will not be able to stop him."

"I _have _to stop him! Why…why hasn't Ethan done it yet?"

"Without assent, nobody can be taken. But gaining assent will only be a question of when, as he gains in power and performs stronger spells."

_Fuck. _

"This power…where…?"

"From you, of course. His strength comes from you."

Of course. It wasn't enough that Justin was responsible for unleashing this monster, it was because of him that Ethan was able to cause the havoc that he did. Fucking brilliant.

"There has to be _something_ that I can do…"

"If you are ready to make the sacrifice."

* * *

Justin pounded on the door to the loft.

"Brian! Open the door! _Brian!_"

The door didn't budge, and Justin couldn't hear any movement from inside the loft. He refused to think about what the silence could mean. There was still time for him to fix all this. There _had _to be.

He stared, and yanked the door open seconds after he heard the latch come undone. Justin headed straight to Brian's bed. _Please let him be there please don't let me be too late please let Brian be ok please please please please_

Brian was lying on his bed, deathly pale. But he was here, and he was alive. Justin released the breath that he had been holding.

"There is nothing you can do for him."

Justin jumped at the sound of Ethan's voice, dropping his messenger bag to the ground. Where had he come from? Ethan stood at the foot of the bed, and Justin could only assume that he had been here the entire night.

"Ethan, I swear, if you've hurt him…" Justin had never in his entire life felt so much hatred for anyone or anything else. He had to consciously stop from hurling himself at Ethan. He just wanted pummel the other man until blood started gushing; and even that may not have satisfied him.

Ethan gave him a thin smile.

"It is only a matter of time, but I _will_ win. You cannot beat me. How is your friend, by the way? I heard that he had to make an unscheduled visit to the hospital…never a good thing for people with his…ah…condition."

"If anything happens to Hunter, I will kill you!"

Ethan merely raised an eyebrow at him skeptically. "And I would like to see you attempt that, Justin."

That was the last straw. All good sense left Justin as he lunged towards Ethan, finally snapping under the pressure. Ethan deftly stepped to a side, which probably was a good thing for Justin, as he fell on to the bed.

"If I were you Justin, I wouldn't –" Ethan didn't get a chance to finish his threat, and Justin was forced to reign in his fury at the sound of Brian's voice.

"Sunshine…?"

Brian was struggling to sit up. Justin noted that he looked like shit, and groggy. And then he saw the blood-soaked pillow next to Brian. The cold, hard fact was that Brian was still here by mere luck; Ethan had clearly already made some attempt to make things go his way.

"The fuck did I take last night…? I have a bitch of a headache…"

Brian rubbed his eyes, and he looked at Justin in confusion. "When did we get in last night…Justin…?"

Justin didn't bother to hide the fact that he was crying. In fact, he barely noticed the tears. _I cannot do this anymore. There's no way that I can protect them all. They're all going to die, and this is all my fucking fault. This has to end. Now. _

He got off the bed. There was no time to waste.

"You. Leave. Now. We'll talk back at my place." Justin told Ethan.

"What the fuck…I came back with _both _of you…?"

Justin ignored Brian, and clearly, Ethan had chosen to do the same.

"Do you really imagine that you would be able to defeat me?" Ethan hissed at Justin.

Justin quietly walked up to Ethan, so that there was less than half a foot between the two of them. He dropped his voice even lower than Ethan's.

"No. You're right. I can't beat you. It _is _just a matter of time, and then you'll win. So leave now, and let me say my goodbye. I'll meet you back at my apartment after that, and then what happens will be up to you. Please. We both know that you can't do anything more right now, anyways. Give me my goodbye."

Justin didn't know how long Ethan looked at him, or what Brian was saying behind them, but Ethan eventually turned around and walked out of the loft. In actuality, the whole thing couldn't have taken more than two or three minutes at best.

Only when the door closed behind Ethan did he turn around to look at Brian. It was so silent that he could hear the other man's labored breathing. Brian looked horrified, and Justin realized that he had discovered the bloody pillow.

"C'mon, you need to have a shower and get cleaned up. I'll change the sheets…can you get up?"

"Justin, what –"

"Shhh…you must've hurt yourself. C'mon Bri, you have to go shower now." Justin didn't want to talk. He didn't want to think. _Just do what has to be done._

He helped Brian out of bed and into the shower; just like the last time Ethan had pulled this stunt, Brian was a lot weaker than Justin had ever been. He wanted to stay in the shower with Brian; he wanted to block out everything that had happened, and ignore what he was about to, but he knew that he couldn't. If he let himself become sentimental, he would never find the strength to carry through with this.

So he stayed long enough to make sure that Brian was ok on his own before he left the bathroom. Justin's reticence to talk meant that Brian, never one eager to chat, remained silent as well. Justin quickly changed the sheets because Brian would be back in bed a lot sooner than expected and then went to the kitchen to make coffee. While Brian was in the shower, Justin had surreptitiously picked up some Xanax from the cabinet. The easiest way to make ensure that Brian would be out of harm's way was to have him unconscious. Not much trouble he could get up to, sleeping in bed.

"I didn't come home with you, did I?"

Brian had finished his shower and stood on the steps.

"I made some coffee and toast for you. Why don't you go back to bed, and I'll bring them? I think they'll make you feel better."

"You asked me not to, but I came home with Ethan anyway, didn't I."

It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement, but it finally forced Justin to look at Brian. Briefly.

"You remember what happened last night?" _What did he remember…?_

"Only bits and pieces…I only have to look at your face to imagine what must have happened."

Justin exhaled; it was pointless to be angry with Brian, but irrationally, he felt as if he had been cheated on. He refused to analyze his emotions. This was Ethan's fault. All of it. And soon, it was all going to end.

He walked past Brian, with the coffee and toast and was thankful that the other man followed him without needing anymore convincing.

"Justin…"

"Coffee first or toast? Or water? Here, have some water."

Justin refused to meet Brian's eyes, because whatever discussion would then follow, he was unable to have. Brian gave him a long look before reaching for the water. To avoid any uncomfortable questions, Justin spoke steadily about Hunter's situation while Brian ate. It was as if his tongue was on autopilot, while his mind was a million miles away. Fortunately for him, Brian didn't notice the medication that had been slipped into the coffee, and the Xanax kicked in before long. Brian was asleep.

After cleaning the place, Justin watched Brian sleep. He took his sketch pad out of his bag, and drew. Except he didn't draw what he saw now, but the image he saw inside his head. The two of them, together in Vienna; shopping, walking, talking, laughing. Happy. _Safe._

He kissed Brian, who gently stirred in his sleep.

"I love you. Whatever happens, I hope you'll remember that."

He left the finished drawing next to bowl of lemons, and walked out.

* * *

Ethan was seated on the bed, waiting, when Justin walked into his own apartment.

"Good byes all done?"

Justin sighed. It was now or never.

"In a manner of speaking…Ethan, I want to make a deal with you."

"Deal? Why would I – "

"Just hear me out, ok? I know that you can't take Brian without him agreeing to it…and you're going to need a lot more time to get to that stage. A lot more time spent channeling _my _energy. Energy you won't be able to get if I'm dead. Right?"

Ethan stared at him in silence.

"I'm going to assume that you agree with me so far. You need me to get Brian. And I would rather kill myself first rather than see you do that. And I promise you, I _will _kill myself if I have to, if that's what it takes to protect him. So. Take me instead. Forget Brian. I'll come with you."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **Most importantly, this chapter would not exist if not for **Xrifree**, the best beta in the world. Thank you so much for helping me with everything. As you well know, you're fabulous!

And a _huge _thank you to everyone who is still reading and/or reviewing; I know, not the most conventional of stories and I love you all for sticking with it. Not much longer now!

* * *

"What do you mean you can't contact him?" Hunter glared at Amara. "I thought you did this for a living."

She looked back at him in exasperation. "I _told _you when you came in here. I can't just conjure up spirits at will. They need to be willing to initiate contact. Of course, since you and your friend have become regular customers, I won't charge you for this session."

"Well, this isn't just _any _spirit. It's Joshua, and you've contacted him before."

Stupid fucking woman, Hunter thought. He glanced at his watch. Justin had spoken to him _hours _ago, before the blonde had gone to Brian's place. Hunter should have been at Amara's earlier, but the damn medication had knocked him out cold. He had slept for far too long and he had wasted even more time trying to sneak out without Michael noticing.

Justin wasn't answering his phone either. Hunter was trying his best to ignore the gnawing feeling at the pit of his stomach that was saying that he was too late.

"That's because your friend was here. Where _is _Justin, anyway? If he was here, I'm sure I could contact Joshua."

"If Justin was here, I wouldn't _need _you to contact Joshua!" How Justin ever managed to work with this brick, Hunter couldn't imagine.

"I'm sorry I cannot help you Hunter. If Justin was here…or perhaps you have something else that is of some importance to this spirit? A charm? Some object? Or…"

…or Gus, Hunter thought. Wasn't that the very reason Joshua had contacted Justin the first time they had come to Amara? Because of a message about protecting Gus?

"You. Don't go anywhere. I'll be back. I _have _to contact Joshua; it's quite literally a matter of life and death." Hunter stood up, and then paused. "Please." He added, as an afterthought.

* * *

A week ago, Hunter had been reluctantly humouring Justin, and vaguely entertaining the possibility of other worldly spirits. Now, after watching objects exploding midair for no reason and almost getting killed by a ghost, Hunter wasn't even questioning what was going on. That was fairly apparent; he just needed to figure out how to stop it.

Hunter would deny it if anyone ever asked, but he was nervous. Nervous and scared. No, nervous and _terrified_. Justin could be dead by now, for all he knew. The instructions to him had been simple: talk to Joshua, tell him where Justin was, and beg him to help. But forget the begging; he hadn't even managed to _contact_ Joshua.

It hadn't taken Hunter long to realize that he didn't even know where Gus lived, let alone having a plan to get the child. That left him with the very option that Justin had explicitly instructed him _not _to use.

Brian Kinney.

But how the fuck else was he supposed to get his hands on Gus? And without Gus, there was clearly not going to be any Joshua. Hunter took in a deep breath and banged on the loft door; Justin had said that he was giving a mild dose – the Xanax would have surely worn off by now, given the lapse of time.

Hunter didn't hear the noise coming from inside as he continued to bang on the door. _Where the fuck –_

"Who the hell is it now?" The door finally opened, and a very irritated Brian Kinney stared at Hunter. "Aren't you supposed to be at the professor's, sleeping off a seizure?"

"Yeah, fuck that. You have to go pick up Gus."

"What?"

"Justin. Justin called me. He wants you to pick up Gus and meet him downtown. With me. Now. He says it's really urgent."

"_What?_" Brian stared at Hunter in confusion. "What are you babbling about? Where _is_ Justin? And what does he want with Gus?"

"Uh…I don't know. Listen, we're really wasting time here…can you get your jacket so that we can leave? Justin called me hours ago, and I'm unbelievably late. Why don't you call him on the way and ask him what this is all about?" That was one phone conversation Brian would not be having anytime soon, Hunter thought. He knew that there was no way Brian would buy the truth, and Hunter was a little short on ideas for plausible lies.

Brian left the door open as he walked back inside the loft, and went straight to the telephone. Hunter watched impatiently as Brian tried multiple times to call Justin unsuccessfully.

"He's not answering."

"No shit. Leave a message; I'm sure he'll call back. Look, Blondie will kill me if you're not downtown with Gus in the next…fifteen minutes. Can you _please _get your jacket and wallet so that we can get the fuck out of here?"

"You're supposed to be sick; why did Justin call _you_? Why didn't he just call me?"

"Jesus Christ, you're worse than a woman with all your damn questions! How the fuck do I know why he called me? Maybe you were asleep. Maybe that moron actually thought he could trust me to do something. Maybe…._aaaaaaaaaargh!_ I don't _know,_ ok? I'm so fucking late and Justin will be dead by the time you get off your fucking ass to do anything!" Hunter exploded, fear and frustration getting the better of him. _How the fuck did Taylor survive so long with all this tension?_

Brian was staring at him incredulously. Ok Hunter, breathe. This is _not _the time to lose your shit.

"Look, you trust Justin, right? So just get Gus and let's go find Justin and then you can get to the bottom of this. Just. Please. We have to leave _now _or I'll burst a fucking blood vessel."

* * *

"Are you sure that this is where Justin wanted to meet us?' Brian was looking dubiously at the narrow staircase leading to Amara's place. "Isn't this some tarot symbol? Is this some psychic voodoo joint?"

"Yeah..." Hunter remembered his own initial reaction and could only imagine what Brian must be thinking. He tried the door; fortunately, it wasn't locked. Amara must be waiting.

"We have to go upstairs." Hunter took the stairs, knowing that curiosity alone would force Brian to follow him. The taller man had asked him at least three dozen questions, none of which Hunter had been able - or willing - to answer.

He walked past the tiny lobby area, straight into the room where the readings happened.

"Ok, where is Justin and what the fuck are we doing here?" The irritation in Brian's voice was apparent.

"Gus, you adorable little thing, you're back. Did you sleep well?"

Brian took two steps back as Amara reached for Gus.

"Who the fuck is this?"

Amara looked at Brian in distaste. "I own this place. Who are _you_?" She turned to Hunter. "I thought you were bringing Justin. Where is he?"

"Will someone explain to me what the hell is going on? Why am I at a voodoo –

"_Psychic" _Amara butted in.

Brian glared at her before continuing. "Why am I at a _psychic's _place, how does she know Gus and where fuck is Justin?"

"Who _is _this man? Why is Justin not here? He was so agitated when he left this morning…"

"Can all of you just please shut up? For five minutes?" Hunter sighed and rubbed his temples. Now that he had everyone here…he had no clue how to begin the explanations. His eyes darted between the confused Amara and the furious Brian. Yup. He'd start with Amara.

"Amara, this is Brian, Gus' father."

Realization dawned on her face. "Oh…so this is the man Justin has been talking about with Joshua?"

"_Joshua?_"

Hunter had no clue why that name had any significance to Brian, and he was too worried to think about it.

"Yeah…the selfsame Brian. Listen, Amara, Justin isn't coming. You _have _to contact Joshua. Gus is here. He'll come. I'm sure of it. We don't have time, you have to hurry!"

"Hunter, I _swear_, if you don't –"

"Ok, ok…" Hunter almost wished that he was back in hospital. "Look Brian, I know that this shit is going to be really difficult to believe, but I _really _need you to trust me. Trust Justin."

"Who the fuck is Joshua?"

Ok, didn't expect that one. "A ghost. A spirit. Or something in between."

"_What?"_

"Joshua is a ghost. He was alive two or three generations ago, had an affair with Ethan – remember, Justin's supposed cousin, he's also really a ghost-thingamajig – and then ditched him in favour of Stanley Peterson, Gus' great grandfather or great great grandfather and he, Joshua that is, did something to Ethan, I don't know what, I can't remember all this shit." Hunter paused, and noted Brian staring at him with pure disbelief. He continued the story as succinctly as possible, and before Brian could interrupt him.

"Anyway, now Ethan is back, and he wants to hurt Gus, and you…or no, he wants to hurt Gus, and he wants to take _you _to whatever place he came from. So Justin has been bringing Gus here to have some kind of charm –"

"Cleansing." Amara corrected him.

"Ok, so some kind of cleansing done to protect him. And then Ethan gave me a seizure and a good three or four hours ago Justin told Ethan he'd go with him instead."

When Hunter paused to catch his breath, Brian finally found his voice. "Are you _seriously _telling me that –"

Hunter ignored him. "I was supposed to come here and contact Joshua and ask for help, but I couldn't do that without Gus here. Yeah. So. That's the story. Justin ain't here, and if I don't contact Joshua somehow, Justin is _never_ going to come back. I don't care if you don't believe me Brian, but it must be obvious that Justin has been here with Gus, so at least trust what he has done. All you have to do, quite literally, is sit there, with Gus. Amara and I will do the rest."

"Hunter, what kind of bullshit is this? Do you actually expect me to believe this story about ghosts and ghouls and the afterlife?"

Brian was matched glare for glare.

"What the hell do you think I'm playing at? Even I would have enough sense to pick a more believable story if I wanted to lie to you, Brian. So my story is bullshit; what the fuck do you think Justin was doing here then? Why do you think he brought your son to see a psychic? Did you hear Amara? Justin and Gus were here this _morning_. And yesterday. Listen – "

"Exactly how many times has Justin been here? How many times has he brought Gus? And you knew about this and encouraged him instead of –"

"Gus has been here twice; Justin must've been here three or four times…I dunno. And what the fuck do you mean _encourage _him? What was I supposed to do? Ethan would've killed him! He sure as hell almost killed _me_. Frankly, I don't care _what _you believe. _Justin _believes and he could be dead right now while you waste time arguing with me."

"Why would Justin be dead?"

"Weren't you listening to me?" Hunter threw his hands up in frustration. "Justin might be dead because he told Ethan to take him to wherever the fuck that ghoul came from. That's as good as dead. Justin is a sensible guy, right? So if he came here, don't you think Justin would have had good reason to? And to bring Gus here on top of that? All you have to do is –"

"Everything is set up. I will, of course, need cash upfront for this. Which one of you will be paying?"

Hunter shook his head. Typical. "He's paying."

"What? When did I agree to go ahead with this?"

"_Why_ is Justin not here? He has more sense and decorum than both of you. He would have paid me without my having to ask for it and we would have already started by now."

"I don't fucking believe I'm doing this." Brian refused to hand over Gus to anyone and in Hunter's opinion, wasted even more time juggling the baby and wallet, finally paying Amara.

"Sit down. Both of you. He's here." Amara ordered them.

"_Who's _here? Justin?" Brian looked around in confusion, even as he sat down.

"Shhhhh…silence."

Amara had closed her eyes and was mumbling quietly to herself; Hunter had no clue what she was saying. Brian was looking from Amara to Hunter, eyebrows raised, and his expression a mix of apprehension and exasperation.

"Where is he?" Amara's voice was deeper than normal. In fact, she sounded like a man…with a foreign…English?...accent. The flames of the candles in the room stopped flickering, and in unison, they burnt brightly, almost at attention. Hunter had seen this before.

Brian stared at her. "Who…"

The air in the room had suddenly become still. There was no wind, and Hunter felt the hair at the back of his neck stand as he felt strangely chilled.

"Joshua? Is that you?" _Think, _Hunter.

"The child is to be protected. Why have you brought him here?"

"Because you wouldn't talk to me when I came on my own! Listen to me, Joshua, you have to help me. Justin. Us. He went with Ethan…he agreed to go with Ethan…he is _begging _you to help him…"

"He was supposed to protect the child."

"He is _trying _to protect all of us! I would think that you could appreciate that, considering that this whole mess is your fucking fault to begin with."

"He was told that if he continued to put others before himself, he would have to make the ultimate sacrifice."

Brian had Gus in a protective death grip as he looked from Amara to Hunter in growing wonderment.

"What the…" _Fuck. _Why was Justin not here? Hunter had absolutely no clue what he was supposed to say to get through to Joshua.

"What…sacrifice?" Brian was voice was low, questioning and unsure.

"You, it is up to you to protect the child now. Make sure he is safe."

Hunter was sure that Brian's eyes would have popped out of his head, and in any other circumstances, he would have found it amusing. But not today.

"How can _any _of us make sure that Gus is safe without Justin? He's the one with the powers…he's the one who knows this shit…_why _won't you go and help him?" Hunter was practically pleading; something he couldn't remember having indulged in for as long as he could remember.

"He knew the choice he was making. As long as the child is safe, there is no necessity for my involvement."

Hunter tried to think. What would Justin have said? What would Justin have done?

The one thing Justin did as often as he drew. _Lie._

"Well, the child _isn't_ safe." He blurted out.

"_What?" _ Brian looked at Hunter, incredulous.

"The child _must_ be protected. That was made clear –"

"Listen, you fuckwit, I just _told_ you. _We can't_ protect Gus; we don't have Justin's power. And Justin isn't here, because he's with your dearly beloved Ethan. Who, by the way, tried to get to Gus once, and all three of his parents couldn't do shit about it. Justin was the one who had to put a stop to that. And now that he's gone, and Ethan has threatened not to leave Gus alone, I'm guessing that the logical conclusion is that the child isn't safe.

So I'm thinking here; you want the child safe, how about you go help Justin first?"

* * *

"How do you have his key?" Brian asked Hunter, as they stood outside Justin's apartment.

"Justin gave it to me. Before he went to see you." Hunter fished inside his pocket for the key.

They had stopped to drop Gus at the home of his mothers before coming to Justin's apartment. Joshua had disappeared – so to speak – soon after Hunter's gamble without saying anything at all of value. He had no idea whether Joshua was going to help Justin or not. Brian, for his part, had remained understandably quiet. Out of ideas, they two men had decided that the most prudent thing to do might be to look for Justin– or any sign as to where he might have gone – at the blonde's apartment.

"And Justin got inside how?"

"Er…Justin has this…ability…telekinesis?...he can kinda move things just by looking at them or - "

"I _know _what telekinesis is. Are you telling me that _Justin _has _telekinesis?_"

Hunter turned to look at Brian with raised eyebrows.

"Are you actually surprised? I might as well tell you…that day at the diner…that cup with Michael…that was Justin…he wanted to stop you and Ted…mostly you…from going off with Ethan."

"_What?"_

"Ok, we're in."

Telekinesis was temporarily forgotten as both men looked around the tiny apartment.

They searched the apartment end to end, but found nothing. No Justin and certainly no Ethan. There were several paintings, but they all looked like recent work by Justin. Hunter had never seen the one from which Ethan had come, but he was pretty sure that it wasn't among the ones he was looking at now.

Hunter wanted to kick himself. He couldn't help feeling guilty. Justin had trusted him with an unbelievably simple task, and he had managed to fuck it up in royal style. He had managed to speak to Joshua only _hours _after Justin had spoken to him, and if the delay hadn't been bad enough, Hunter couldn't even be sure that Joshua would help. In fact, given Joshua's arrogance, Hunter was pretty sure that he _wouldn't _help. And where would that leave Justin? As good as dead, just like he had told Brian.

Brian. _Shit. _Justin had explicitly told him to keep Brian out of this, and Hunter had failed at that task as well. He didn't know what Brian believed and what he didn't, but at least the acrimonious arguing had stopped. _Fuck. Justin, where are you?_

And then he saw the bed and froze.

"Where the fuck are they?" Brian's voice managed to mix both anger as well as worry.

"I don't know…but all this blood can't be a good sign."

Brian pushed past Hunter to see what the younger man was pointing at. There was blood on the bed sheet and on the floor.

"He's had a nosebleed…or…" Brian didn't complete his sentence.

"Or _what?_"

"There's too much blood here for a nosebleed…I'm going to try and call him again."

Hunter sighed exasperatedly.

"Brian, he's not going to answer. Do you really think that –"

"He _has _to answer."

When Hunter heard the quiet desperation in Brian's voice, he decided against arguing with the man. He was fucking exhausted. The tension alone could have killed him; and his all-too-recent stint at the hospital wasn't helping matters any. Hunter knew that if he just let up for five minutes, he probably wouldn't wake up for another two days. At least.

"Do you hear that? Justin's phone…it's somewhere here…" Brian was looking about frantically.

"Brian, what are we going to do with his phone? He hasn't been kidnapped, you know. We need to find _him_ or that motherfucking Ethan or –"

Brian turned to glare at him before heading towards the closet, where faint ringing could be heard. Hunter watched as Brian rummaged through the closet, finding the phone on the floor. Like that's going to be of any use, Hunter thought as he surveyed the rest of the apartment. _Where _could they have –

"Is this the painting you were talking about?"

Brian was pulling out a long, rolled up canvas from the closet.

"If it's big, powdery and old, that should be it. I've never seen it…Justin said it went missing after Ethan appeared…"

Brian unfurled the canvas on the floor.

Indeed, it was big, powdery and old. And empty.

The picture that Justin has described to Hunter wasn't there. Instead, it looked blotted out…a hazy mix of grays, greens, yellows, oranges and browns, with no discernible images of anything at all. Certainly not of Justin or Ethan.

"Is this it? The painting Ethan supposedly came from?" Brian was looking at it doubtfully, and then he turned the expression on to Hunter.

"I don't know that he _came _from that…I think it's like a portal of some sort…fuck if I know! Justin's the one with all the goddamn answers…"

"And Justin's not here." Brian said dully.

"Maybe…"

"I think we should call the police."

"_The police?" _ What on earth was Brian thinking?

"This Ethan and Joshua and whatever the fuck is….look, Justin is missing, his cell phone is at the bottom of his closet and there's blood all over the place. Maybe the explanation is a lot simpler than your other worldly story…"

"Brian, you have to snap out of it. Nobody from _this_ world has done anything to Justin; he lives in a ratty apartment and doesn't have more than a hundred bucks to his name. Why would _anyone _want him?" Hunter felt for Brian and could only imagine the confusion the man must be feeling, but the priority right now was to find Justin; with or without Brian.

"You want to call the police, go ahead. Just don't tell them that I had the keys to the apartment. I _don't _want to be in any more shit than I'm already in. Anyways, they won't take in a missing person's report till twenty four hours have passed. I'll stick to my other worldly story and try and figure out where Justin is, because that is the only way we're going to find him."

"_Fuck! Goddamn it! "_

He winced as Brian slammed his fist against the wall.

Hunter stared intently at the painting.

"Where do you suggest we start looking?"

"Huh?"

Brian repeated his question, not without a considerable amount of annoyance.

"I don't know. But I think we should destroy this painting."

"What? Why? How does that help find Justin?"

"I don't know…but - and bear with me on this - the painting is the portal to wherever the fuck Ethan came from. This must be the way in and out. Now Justin said that Ethan was in the painting from the day he found it…until of course Ethan came to terrorize the whole lot of us and the painting went missing. So…I can't see anything or anyone on this thing, so I'm guessing that no one is there…"

"And…?"

"And, if there is no painting, there will be no portal, and no way for anything or anybody to move back and forth. I think we should destroy the painting because that means Justin would at least be somewhere in _our _universe. Then all we have to do is find him."

"You're serious."

"Brian, do you have a better idea? Any at all?"

"Yes. I suggest we look for Justin. The painting can wait."

"Right. Are we going to put out search parties all over Pittsburgh? Where do you suggest we even _start_ looking for him?"

Brian looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Call his mother. Ask her if she's seen him. I'm sure we'll find her number on his phone. Call Daphne. That's his –"

"I know who she is! Look, you can call anyone you want, but I'm telling you, I doubt that –"

Brian was already dialing a number on his own phone. Hunter watched while Brian spoke to both Justin's mother, Daphne and even Lindsay, Travis, Michael and Debbie without gaining any new information on where Justin could possibly be.

"Anyone else you'd like to call? The Pope, perhaps?" Hunter tried to stop from lashing out at Brian, but with his frayed nerves, it was near impossible.

"And how the fuck is destroying some old painting going to help us find Justin? At least my ideas make sense."

"Yes, but they haven't got us any closer to finding Justin now, have they? I'm not saying that by destroying this we're somehow going to find where Justin is; but he's clearly not inside it. At least if the painting is gone, we can be sure that Justin remains in _this _world." Hunter paused. "At least I'll be sure; you can believe whatever you want to. Even if you don't buy my story, what harm is it going to do anyway? We have no ideas and nowhere else to go. "

The two men stared at each other.

"Where did this painting come from?" Brian asked finally.

"I don't know…Justin said he found it when he helped clean some woman's attic."

"_What _woman?"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "I don't know…I hadn't even met him then."

Brian's shoulders sagged. "So you have no clue?"

"Uh…I think Daphne -"

"Daphne. Does _she _know where the painting came from?"

"I dunno…but I think she was with him when he found it."

Brian started rolling up the canvas.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"The fuck does it look like? I'm sure that even this rat hole has a smoke detector. I should have lighter fluid in the jeep. We'll do this shit outside. Then we go look for Daphne."

* * *

There was silence. Justin hadn't heard anything from the time he had regained consciousness, and that had been quite a while ago. He was chilled to the bone, but he remained as still as he possibly could. He hoped – _prayed –_ for some sign that Hunter had been successful, that Joshua was going to help him.

But there had been no signs of that. In fact, there had been no sign of anything at all, unless both Joshua and Ethan were seated somewhere, watching him quietly. Justin wondered how much longer he could pretend to be unconscious and fool Ethan…unless Ethan wasn't here.

_Fuck. _That was a possibility that Justin hadn't even stopped to consider. While he was pretending to be dead and waiting for help that might never come, what if Ethan wasn't even here? What if he had gone back to Brian, or even Gus? Fuck fuck _fuck!_ Justin could feel the all too familiar feeling of panic wash over him.

_Think, _Justin. You took a bat to your head, and you pulled through. Seventeen years old and not a penny to your name and you managed to survive. You got under Brian Kinney's skin. You saved him _and _Gus from Ethan. It is _not _your time. Joshua or no Joshua, you have to find a way to get the fuck out of here. This is far from over. _You're _far from over. _THINK. _There has to be a way out.

This feeling of intense cold…it was like the first nightmare he had had. So he was inside the painting. Or beyond the painting…in Ethan's little world. He would have to open his eyes; there was no way that he could lie sleeping and find his way out of this trap he was in. He'd have to look around and take stock of the situation.

"You are awake, finally. I was afraid that you may not have survived the transfer."

Justin turned to look at Ethan. He doubted very much that Ethan had any fears at all, least of all about him. Ethan was seated on a bench of some sort, and his violin and bow lay beside him.

He looked around slowly. _Buy time. _He could make out the massive trees from his nightmare…but it was different. They were even hazier…in fact, they really weren't trees at all. It was just a strange jumble of colours and Justin had seen trees only because he had _wanted _to see trees…right?

"Where are we?"

"We are in my world…the world you agreed to become a part of."

"Uh-huh." Did Ethan look uncomfortable, or was he imagining it? Speaking of imagining, Justin frowned, staring into the distance again. There was no background, no trees, no sky…it was just a strange jumble of colours…as if he was trapped inside a colour palette…_or inside his own head, before he formed a vision for a painting._ Instead of trees…valleys? As soon as he saw the jumble of colours start to form a distinct valley, he stopped thinking and looked back at Ethan.

I can alter this world. _Why? How? How much can I do?_

"This…this doesn't look like the painting…where's the forest? All those trees…?"

Now Justin was certain that Ethan looked uncomfortable.

"That world has changed."

"Why? Why…why did it change?"

"You changed it, my dear Justin. When you dabbled with the painting, adding things, colours…people."

_This power…where…?_

_From you, of course. His strength comes from you_

Joshua and Ethan's words came back to him in a flash.

_I created the powder, I enchanted the canvas, I created the spell… Fool that I was, I agreed to let him cast it_

Ethan's strength had come from him, because _he_ had been the one to complete Ethan! And just like Joshua had had the power to trap Ethan by virtue of casting the spell, Justin could alter this reality because _he _had been the one to break the spell and bring Ethan back to life.

"I know that you don't want to be here, Justin."

_Don't _show him how you feel. Not just yet.

"It's not…well, everything takes time to get used to, right? I mean…I'll miss Brian and Daphne and Hunter and mom and Molly…but…but at least no one's going to bash my head in!" Justin donned a bright smile. Ethan had to trust him.

Ethan smiled back at him. "As long as you are with me, you will be safe. It has been a very long – and very lonely – time for me here. But…at least now, finally, I have a companion."

Grimacing inside, Justin touched Ethan's sleeve softly. Ethan felt more solid to Justin here than ever before. _He's real in this world. Just like I'm human in my world, he's alive in his._

"Ethan, you and I…we're here forever, right? Maybe we can start afresh… I don't want forever to be bitter and hostile…"

"Perhaps this is an arrangement we both can get used to." When Ethan covered Justin's hand with his own, it took all of Justin's strength to keep smiling and not punch Ethan in the face.

"I'm an artist, you're a musician…we should have common ground…forever doesn't have to be bad at all…" Justin smiled sweetly at Ethan, and when the other man turned to him, he looked away, almost shyly. _If you only knew how badly I want to kill you right now._

Instead, Justin spoke as innocently as he possibly could.

"Can you play something for me? Beethoven's Violin Concerto_, _maybe? The one he wrote for his Austrian friend…the violinist…I forget his name…"

That Ethan was both surprised by his request as well as knowledge was evident; however, his ego was obviously stoked, since he continued to smile and picked up his violin. Justin smirked inside his head. I'm lucky he acts like European royalty instead of a has-been almost-ghost.

He gazed adoringly at Ethan, sitting cross-legged on the ground. You little shit, Justin thought. _Did you really think that I wouldn't catch on to the power I have? If I could just figure out how to leave…_

There was a reason he had requested that particular piece; at almost 25 minutes, it was one of the longest violin concertos Justin had ever heard of. It would give him plenty of time to think while Ethan was conveniently distracted. Not that his knowledge of classical music was extensive by any means, but Justin remembered this particular piece from a tourist brochure he had seen when he had visited the _Theater an der Wien_ with Brian. _Brian_. _You find a way to help me every time._

Justin tried his best to remember the last time he had been trapped inside Ethan's world. I found an exit, he thought; how the hell else would I have ended up outside my own apartment? There _has _to be an exit; that's why Joshua left Ethan limbless. To keep him from escaping. Think think think!

He remembered touching the bark of a tree and feeling something; he also remembered running into something – something wooden? – before he had passed out and woken up on Ben's lap. Which one of those had been the way out from this dimension? And how the fuck was he supposed find either of them, when none of the trees were here?

Justin tried to think logically. If there was a way out, it wouldn't have just disappeared just because the scenery changed. Besides, Ethan's demeanour gave every sign of there being an exit strategy somewhere. Conversely, if there was a way in, there had to be a way out. He just had to be smart about finding it.

If the background scenery could just disappear, then that couldn't be an indicator of how to get out. There must be something else...maybe it wasn't static? It _couldn't _be static; he was trapped inside an endless stream of colour; there was no beginning to it, and as far as his eyes could see, no end either. And it could become anything he imagined it to be.

The forest from earlier…that had been what Joshua had created for Ethan. Now, as the one who broke the spell and altered this world, _he _had that power. Did that mean that he also had the power to create an exit? Surely, his powers must extend to at least finding the damn thing.

_Think. There's an exit here somewhere. If I can alter this reality, that means I can choose where the fucking exit is going to be. I create the background, the setting, and then I have my exit. I have my way out._

But how was he supposed to do anything without Ethan noticing? Even if he found a way out, how was he supposed to hold Ethan back and escape at the same time? They'd end up playing an endless game of tag. Maybe -

Justin had to cover his ears when the bow ran across the violin strings like chalk across a blackboard. He looked to find the musical instruments at Ethan's feet, while the man looked even paler than normal. The look on Ethan's face was confirmed by his slow whisper.

"Joshua…"

He followed Ethan's gaze, and found himself looking at another man.

Joshua…Hunter _had_ pulled through for him...Justin felt renewed hope swell inside of him. He was going to be safe now!

Tall, handsome and well built, he looked almost regal with light brown hair parted at the side and brushed back, like an old Hollywood star. Justin took in his suit that went out of style decades ago, and conceited expression. These two really _were_ meant for each other, he thought.

"Joshua..." Ethan could only stare at the man.

"How dare you try and hurt him; did you not think that I would stop you?"

Whoa…back up there…Justin didn't expect Joshua to care _so _much…_what was going on?_

Ethan, meanwhile, was stuttering. "Is that why are here? You came for _this_ man? You do not even know him! I, who waited so long for you…"

In spite of everything, a small part of Justin felt sorry for Ethan. What a fate to be cursed with and how much bitterness must be in his heart..._careful there, _a voice inside his head cautioned. _Won't do you any good to feel bad for the man who would have just as soon killed you._

Justin stood up very slowly. He didn't know what it was, but something just didn't feel right…and goodness, it was getting warm.

"This man? I do not give a farthing about this man. I am speaking of the child. I am here for him."

"The child…?"

_Gus…_what the fuck was going on here? Justin decided that the safest thing to do would be to remain silent, until he figured out what exactly was happening.

"Did you think that I would watch idly while you harmed him?"

Ethan scoffed bitterly. "For decades you let me rot, never once coming to me...but at the mere hint of harm falling upon _that _man's kin, here you are, materialized in all your glory."

"I warned you Ethan, not to hurt Stanley or his family."

Ethan spoke bitterly. "Well, worry not. I tried and I failed. I have found someone in your stead, and I have no desire to return to that world, even for the possibility of exacting revenge."

Justin blanched as first Ethan and then Joshua looked his way. The man was here merely to issue threats to Ethan; Justin knew that he would be disappearing sooner than later. The way Joshua always did when his help was needed the most. Joshua wasn't going to help Justin escape any more than he had been willing to help Justin remove Brian from Ethan's clutches. He was supposed to serve as Ethan's distraction; that's all Joshua had wanted from day one!

He needed a plan and he needed one _now_. Joshua clearly had no intention of helping him; he never had.

If I find the exit and make it out of here, Justin thought, I'd end up somewhere outside the damn painting again. If I manage to destroy that on time, these two will be trapped in here forever, the way it always _should_ have been.

If I imagine trees or forests or valleys or the goddamn Pacific Ocean, that's what this place is going to turn into, he thought. _So what's the one place that is big enough to hide in, modern enough for these two scumbags to get lost in and familiar enough for me to find my way around?_

It didn't take Justin too long to figure that one out.

The two men were still arguing.

"In your wake, you have led quite a number of people to believe otherwise, Ethan."

"If you are referring to Justin's troublesome friend –"

"And the child's father. I hear that if not for Justin, Gus may have died because of you."

_Fuck. Brian?_ All thought processes inside Justin's head paused, as he digested that bit of information. What the hell had happened with Hunter? Was he hurt? _Why _was Brian involved?

"You cursed me to live eternity here Joshua! All I ever did was love you and …"

Justin completely tuned out from the century-or-so overdue lover's quarrel unfolding in front of him, and refused to think about Brian or his involvement in this debacle. The time to escape was _now, _while everyone was distracted. To do that, he would have to remain calm and focused.

_Ok Justin, you have a plan. How do you execute it? _

He still had to sort out the two most important things: how to distract Ethan and how to distract Joshua.

He looked at the gesticulating Ethan, with the violin at his feet.

Ok, so it wasn't perfect, but he had a temporary solution for Ethan. It would buy him time and get him a head start, and that's all Justin could hope for at this point.

That was when he noticed the colours in the distance. The other two men, too busy shouting at each other, didn't seem to have sensed anything. _Yet. _But Justin did. He saw the mishmash of colours dissolving…into nothing. Something was wrong. Something, from the outside, was going terribly, _terribly_ wrong.

He had to distract these two, and it was beginning to look like he had a grand total of about five minutes to do it in. If that.

Joshua. He could – _no. _Joshua was too powerful and too dangerous. Actively hurting him would end in disaster; Justin was certain of it. I can't make an enemy out of him, he thought. And practically speaking, as long as Ethan was incapacitated and trapped in here, Joshua shouldn't care what happened to Justin.

_I'm just going to have to take my chances. _

"Unless you plan to release me from this curse Joshua…"

Ethan was still rambling. Good.

Justin took a deep breath. _It was now or never. _

He closed his eyes, letting memories flood in, forming his vision.

"What are you _doing?_" Ethan stared at Justin, aghast.

"You learn fast, Justin." Joshua looked at him with a mixture of admiration and mistrust.

The three of them stood in a room that was identical to the auditorium at the St. James Academy.

Justin knew that the door he wanted was right behind him. _A small step backwards. And another._

"He _knows!"_ Ethan exclaimed to Joshua, before turning to Justin. "You..you cannot get away from me…"

Justin glared at Ethan, and even as he took small steps backwards he noticed the reality he had just created crumbling at the edges...charred…_as if it was on fire_.

"You sorely underestimated me Ethan, if you thought for a moment that I was going to spend all of eternity sitting at your feet, listening to that caterwauling. That's the eternity _you_ chose; not me. I'm getting the fuck out of here!"

He stopped moving, looked at the violin and bow at Ethan's feet, and blinked.

Ethan's agonizing cry came two seconds after the bow went straight through his ankle.

It had been a gamble, but when blood started soaking through Ethan's trouser leg, Justin knew he had hit pay dirt.

Justin took a step backwards and watched as Ethan lurched after him only to fall in a heap under the sound of cracking bones.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Blood pounded in Justin's ears as Joshua fixed his eyes on him. The acrid smell of smoke was becoming stronger and stronger, and Ethan was moaning on the ground behind Joshua.

Justin had no plan to deal with Joshua; his tricks wouldn't hold under the power the other man wielded. He continued to back away slowly, but Joshua was inching forward steadily.

"Joshua…you don't need me here…please…let me go…"

"You let him escape once. You have seen too much…you can do too much…do not think that I have any intention of letting you leave here."

Justin felt his back hit the door frame and the heat was starting to pull his limbs down. Any sudden moves and Joshua would be on him in an instant.

His head was starting to feel heavy, and Justin had to force himself not to give into the dizziness.

_No no no no no no…not when you've come so far!_

Joshua hadn't taken his eyes off Justin. "You and Ethan, you two shall be bound –"

"You and _I _were bound, Joshua! Ninety three years I waited for you…and today, you shall be mine once more…"

All Justin saw was Joshua turn around in horror to look at Ethan.

He spun on his heel and sprinted out of the auditorium without a backward glance. Ethan had given him the distraction that he had needed and he wasn't about to waste it.

He ran past the adjoining library. The stairs would be right there, and then into the equipment room where he had planned for the exit to be –

A scalding gust of wind pushed Justin and he staggered backwards. Red, orange and yellow danced in front of him, floor to ceiling.

Fire.

He couldn't breathe…there was smoke…smoke everywhere…the more air he tried to take in, the more his lungs convulsed, telling him that they were struggling.

Flames licked at him, and Justin forced his legs to move back the way he had come, even as his uncomprehending mind tried to make sense of what was happening.

_You can't go back that way; Joshua and Ethan would be waiting…was this them? Was this their…Stop! You need to find another way into the room. Run. Faster. Faster. Faster…Stop!_

Rings of golden red danced in front him, their tongues lashing forward towards him. Justin stumbled back, and then realization dawned on him.

He was surrounded. Behind him, the heat was rolling in waves, rushing to where he was. In front of him, buds of flame, big and small, reached forward, trying to claim him for themselves. Along with the smoke, panic was beginning to set in. He could feel the heat searing his skin.

Justin closed his eyes, reimagining the place around him. _I can make this what I want it to be. I have to. _

He opened his eyes.

He should have been in the equipment room.

He _may_ have been in the equipment room.

He couldn't see a damn thing in front of him.

Justin fumbled, eyes blinded by tears and smoke. His body racked by coughs, he reached his arms out ahead of him, trying to blindly feel his way out of this nightmare. He closed his eyes and opened them but nothing happened. Justin didn't have the strength within him to alter anything any more; he was struggling to just keep breathing.

Sheets of flames roared behind him, and he tumbled forward.

_Stop, _his lungs screamed at him, _we can't take this anymore!_

There was a downpour of vermilion from above him…or maybe it was amber…Justin couldn't see beyond the gray haze of smoke. A noise, akin to a gunshot, exploded in his ear and a voice from somewhere deep inside his brain that was still functioning told him that the ceiling must be falling in.

_Please not now, not when I'm so close. Just a few more steps…please please please…somebody make this stop _

Justin didn't know if he made it to the exit.

His last thoughts were on how close he had come, as the heat and the smoke engulfed him and he blacked out.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **As always, a HUGE thank you to **Xrifree**, the world's best beta.

This story would be absolute nonsense, if not for you. Not to mention the fact that it wouldn't even have an ending.

* * *

Moving about was not as painful today as it had been for the last couple of days. He had managed to sit up all on his own. _Stupid damn cracked rib. At least there's no more intubation_. Justin mentally thanked his lungs.

He thought of reaching for the TV remote, and then decided against it. His arms were still swollen, and the nurse had just changed the dressing. It felt slightly itchy as well as painful, and Justin had no wish to increase either of those feelings. The doctor had said that they'd heal in three or four weeks and he couldn't wait.

Ah well, back to the TV. Justin blinked, and he was rewarded by Jack Nicholson getting all snarky with Tom Cruise. Justin smirked to himself. I guess what was given really _can't_ be taken back, he thought.

"Mr. Taylor, you seem to be doing better today."

Justin turned and smiled, as he noticed Dr. Wilkins at the door.

"Hi, …was getting a bit bored so I thought I'd watch some TV."

Dr. Wilkins wasn't his doctor, but he had been the one to recognize him after Justin had been wheeled into the ER by paramedics as a 'John Doe'. Dr. Wilkins had subsequently called Hunter, to inform him that his 'cousin' Justin was in the ER, suffering from smoke inhalation, second degree burns, a fractured rib and a concussion.

"You should try and rest, not strain yourself." The doctor admonished him, as he placed the TV remote next to Justin.

Justin smiled guiltily. "Oops."

"I was doing my rounds and decided I'd drop by to see how you were. Has Mr. Montgomery been by?"

"Hunter? Yeah, he was here this morning."

"Good good. I'm glad to see you're both doing much better. It must be a family trait; being rushed into emergency rooms…do you still not remember what happened to you?"

"No…nothing at all…" Justin remembered _exactly_ what had happened, up until the moment he had blacked out while searching for the exit. That was not a story he could tell the hospital staff, or the police that had been by later, asking questions. Amnesia seemed to be the best way to go. To be fair, he really _didn't _remember anything from the time he blacked out to the time he woke up in hospital.

"Don't worry…the important thing right now is your recovery…"

Both the doctor and Justin looked at the door, when they heard someone clearing their throat.

"You have another visitor, it seems. Well, good luck Mr. Taylor, and I'll try and drop by again, before you're discharged."

Justin smiled as the doctor took his leave. He turned his gaze upon the woman who stood at the door. He frowned, as he tried to place her.

"Mrs. Bates…?"

Cleaning her attic…finding the painting…it seemed like a lifetime ago…

She closed the door as she walked closer to the bed. "I didn't know if you would recognize me."

"What…what are you doing here?"

"I'm the one who found you, Justin."

He stared blankly at her.

"I haven't been inside that shed in years…the 'workroom', my uncle used to call it. But that evening, I was drawn in there in spite of myself… something called me there….or maybe I should say some_one _called me there. Your cries for help…I found you, unconscious, lying on the ground."

"You're the lady who called the paramedics…but they said it was Mrs. Russell…Emily Russell."

She smiled. "I'm Emily Russell. Bates is my married name…I was afraid…in case you woke up and recognized my name…I didn't want to shock you."

Pieces of the puzzle slowly started falling into place.

"You know something." Justin looked at her warily. Had he been wrong to think that it was all over?

"I know that when I find a person lying unconscious in that shed – unopened and untouched for years – it had to mean that he had somehow got entangled with my uncle…and when it's the same person who walked out of my house with that painting…I was afraid that you might be dead."

"Uncle…?"

"Joshua Moore. He was my mother's brother."

Justin felt the blood drain from his face. What if –

"Oh, don't, please don't worry." It was as if she had read his mind. "I'm not here to hurt you…not at all. Quite the contrary, in fact. I was hoping that you could help me…tell me what happened…"

He looked at her with narrowed eyes. Joshua and the company he kept was nothing short of deadly, and Justin wanted absolutely nothing more to do with them, even if they were seemingly harmless sixty year old women.

Emily seemed to sense his trepidation.

"Maybe I should start…explain myself better, perhaps."

"Yeah…that might be a good idea." Justin said. Involuntarily, his eyes darted across the room, noting all possible points of exit. Just in case…as long as the telekinesis was there, he wouldn't need the extensive use of his hands…if his ribs would hold up…

"Truly, I am not here to hurt you."

The idea that she could perhaps read his mind only successfully scared him more. _Fool_, a voice inside his head told him, _she can probably see the fear on your face_.

Justin attempted to smile and nod and Emily took the hint, because she started to speak.

"My father, he died in the war, and that's when my mother moved here, with me, from England. For a new beginning. She didn't want to stay with Uncle Joshua, but we had little money and she didn't know anyone else. He was living alone, and he told us that he welcomed the company.

I was young, and in the beginning, I didn't understand why mother was so hesitant. Uncle Joshua was wonderful to us; we were never in need of anything, and he was the perfect uncle. He found my mother a job and things seemed good.

But even as a child, you pick up on things. And I wasn't so young when I realized that he wasn't like other men…he had no wife, no girlfriend and showed no interest in women. I understood that he was different, that he preferred the company of men, and it didn't bother me at all, though I presumed that that was what bothered my mother."

Justin nodded; Ethan had been voluble enough about his own background, but after he had been trapped inside the painting, nobody really knew what had become of Joshua. It was nice to finally have some light shed on it.

Emily continued. "But you know how it is…when you see one thing, you see others. And that's when I realized that his relationship with Stanley wasn't what he said it was."

"You knew Stanley Peterson?"

"Oh, _everyone_ knew Stanley Peterson. He was one of the wealthiest, most outstanding members of the community. With his beautiful children and charming wife and endless charity work…a pillar of society, he was. Don't get me wrong; I don't mean to put him down. He _was _a wonderful person, and I could understand why my uncle fell so much in love with him. And I really believe that Stanley loved him as well; when you know enough to keep your eyes open, you see the signs.

But he had a family, children, and I didn't appreciate the double life, the lies and the pretences that his family must have been subject to. And I think that was the real problem my mother had; not that he was a homosexual but that he had helped turn another's family into a farce."

"Did…did other people know? Did they suspect?"

Emily smiled. "My mother and I knew, of course, and I'm guessing that at least some of them at the practice – Stanley's clinic, that is – must have known. But no one said anything. He was too good a person in every other sense. I suppose your psychiatrists today would say that he was overcompensating…I don't know. All I know is, he always seemed to be a devoted husband and father and a model citizen, and yet, he shared something very special with my uncle."

Justin grimaced as he remembered what that 'something special' had almost cost him.

"My grandmother, her name was Augusta. When Stanley had his youngest son, he named him James Augustus Peterson. After my grandmother; after Uncle Joshua's mother."

_Augusta. Augustus. Gus. _

Justin remembered Brian telling him that Lindsay had picked out Gus' name; Melanie had wanted Abraham. Did anyone actually know who Gus had been really named after? Did Brian even know that Lindsay had picked a variant of her father's name?

Emily had continued to speak, and he tried to pay attention.

"When I was sixteen, my uncle gave me a very special present. He started teaching me."

For a moment, Justin didn't understand and he looked at her blankly.

"Teaching me what he knew. The spells, the magic, the powers." She explained. "It was a family tradition he said, and we all had to learn. That was when I understood my mother's other objection. That was something she had wanted to stay away from; to keep her child from. But she couldn't – or wouldn't – overrule him, and so I learnt."

"You're mother…is she…"

"She passed away over twenty years ago, together with my uncle. They were visiting some friends when the building caught fire…I guess it really was time to go…with all his talents and abilities, my uncle wasn't able to save himself or my mother."

_Fire…_

"Did they ever find his body?"

Emily seemed surprised by his question. "Everyone's remains were charred beyond recognition…but…they did determine that he died…I can't remember how…why do you ask?"

Justin shrugged, not sure of what he should say.

"I'm…it's just…I'm sorry about your mother."

"It was a long time ago…it was after they died though, that I found out about the painting."

"The painting…?"

"I had seen it at home, and my mother had told me that it was of the man that my uncle had come from England with…Ethan…we never knew what had happened to him. I hated that painting; my mother did as well, but Uncle Joshua would never allow us to get rid of it.

When he died, I tried…I tried to throw it, but it would find its way back into my house…nothing I tried worked…it couldn't be destroyed, it couldn't be given, it couldn't be sold… I finally realized that it had been cursed. Or I had been cursed to have it. Ethan, whoever he was, must have charmed it. It was the same with the house; Uncle Joshua's house. I could never sell it; I couldn't rent it out…I was stuck with it and the painting and all these other odd things that were his.

Ever since he died, Uncle Joshua that is, it's like something kept holding me back. Success didn't come easily, and I was always falling sick…even my marriage ended in divorce. The Curse of Ethan, I began to call it. I locked up the shed that Uncle Joshua had used for his spells, and put all his things, including the painting, in the attic, hoping that it would be the end of the bad luck. It wasn't, but at least the things were out of my way.

Then I had some problems with rats…"

"…and you put an ad on Craigslist, hoping that someone else could throw out all those things…" Justin completed for her.

"Well, I didn't expect that anyone could get rid of those things…I just wanted the attic cleaned out, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to do anything with those cursed items. When you asked for the painting, I was sure that it would somehow find its way back to me…but it didn't. And then it was like the curse was finally lifting…things started going right…I even got an offer for the house last week…I was wondering what had happened…I was afraid to think that this good luck was going to last…then I found you unconscious, and I was sure that you were dead and I was somehow going to be put away for murder."

Justin had warmed up to Emily; there didn't seem to be anything to be afraid of from her, and moreover, he believed her. It just seemed to fit in perfectly with what had happened to him, what he knew, what Ethan – and Joshua – had said.

So he told her. He told her everything that had happened from the time he found that painting; the nosebleeds, the telekinesis, Brian, Ethan, Hunter, Joshua, Gus and finally, about the fire. It was like a catharsis for both of them. Emily was free to live her life at long last and Justin was finally sure that he would no longer be haunted by either Joshua or Ethan. Despite both Brian and Hunter's assurances, Justin had nightmares about the two of them returning.

Emily reached out and touched his shoulder, and he saw her eyes shining from unshed tears. . "I know that you saw only the worst of the power because of my uncle and Ethan…but there's a whole other side to it. It can be used for so much good…"

"What are you saying?"

"The curse…Ethan…I was never able to have any children of my own. There was no one to pass this knowledge on to.

You have the gift now. If you ever want to develop it further, I could teach you…the way I was taught…without the potential for destruction, of course. It could be something wonderful and good...if you want it, that is. And you're the one who lifted the curse; I want to say thank you."

Justin stared at Emily in amazement, even as he felt the itching on his arms suddenly subside.

"I…I'm not sure that I'm ready for this…so much has happened in the last few weeks that I'm just beginning to take it all in…"

Emily smiled kindly. "I understand. But if you ever decide you want to learn more, all you have to do is call me. I'm sensing that you have another guest …but remember, it could be fun as well."

She didn't move an inch from where she was, but Emily winked at Justin as his room door swung inwards on its own to reveal a rather surprised visitor, who clearly had not even reached out to open it.

"I should be going. It was very nice meeting you again, Justin. Thank you. For everything."

"No, wait, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Justin turned, beaming at his guest. "Hey, you said you'd be getting late today."

"I guess I finished earlier than expected."

"Right." Justin grinned knowingly. "Brian, I'd like you to meet Emily Bates."


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_**Friday evening, six weeks later, in the middle of December**_

An unusually excited Emmett had just left after helping him get dressed when Justin heard someone knocking. Emmett probably forgot something, he thought as he walked across the loft.

Daphne had made plans with him almost a week ago, asking him to keep the evening free so that the two of them could do a dinner and movie evening. But Brian had called in the afternoon, insisting that he cancel all his plans. Some visuals for a presentation had apparently gone terribly wrong, and they had to redo it over the weekend. The artwork had to be worked on first thing Saturday morning, so the shoot was happening Friday evening and apparently they were several models short. Brian had asked – well, more like ordered – that Justin step in. Luckily, Daphne had been incredibly understanding about cancelling.

Brian must be really tense about the shoot, Justin thought. He had actually sent Emmett over, outfit in hand, to make sure that Justin was 'appropriately' dressed. Well, any shoot that required background extras to be dressed in tuxedos must be pretty damn fancy, he figured as he opened the door.

"Mom, Mollusk…this is a surprise. Come on in, you two."

"Sweetheart, you look…beautiful."

Justin watched in surprise as his mother got all teary-eyed.

"Hey, mom, why are you crying?"

"I'm not…it's just, you look beautiful sweetheart. I…I haven't seen you for a while…"

"Wow…this place is awesome!" Molly was across the room in an instant.

"Mom, are you feeling ok? You saw me on Tuesday when I came over for lunch. Molly, don't touch anything, ok?"

"I know, I know…I just haven't seen you all dressed up for so long." At least Jennifer had stopped sniffling.

"Right…what are you doing here, anyway? I spoke to you less than an hour ago."

"Is it a bad time? Is Brian here? Were you about to leave?"

"Brian's not here yet…I just finished getting dressed."

"Oh, well, I had to pick something up for Molly and…oh what the hell. I knew you were getting all dressed up, so I wanted to come and see you before you left. Maybe take a picture?"

Justin stared at her, open mouthed. "You came here to take a picture…? _Seriously? _Mom, what on earth is going on?"

"Oh honey, nothing is wrong. It's just that I've barely seen you since you left home, and – "

"Mom, I'm not working anymore. Well, except for babysitting. I have a lot more time now."

"Molly, sweetheart, hurry up and come here before Justin has to leave. Now go and stand next to your brother."

"Mom, really, this is…" Justin rolled his eyes as Molly stood next to him, smiling brightly.

"Justin, will you smile? Please?"

Sighing in resignation, he smiled as Jennifer snapped some photos, then insisted that Molly take some of her and Justin, and even managed to set the timer and take a couple of the three of them together. _Wow, she really went all the way._

"I was thinking, let's go shopping on Monday. You're starting college next month…you should spruce up your wardrobe."

"Can I come? Can I come?" Molly started tugging Jennifer's hand and she nodded in acquiescence.

Justin laughed. "Mom, I have enough clothes, really."

"Sweetheart, you're living here with Brian and he's paying for PIFA; he even paid for your hospital bill. I just don't want him to think that –"

"I told you, it's a loan. I'm going to pay him back once I graduate and start working. Besides, Brian's not like that, he doesn't count dollars and cents."

It was true. The money _was _a loan, and he _was _going to pay him back. Just like Brian's initial offer. And Brian really wasn't a dollars and cents person.

But the hospital bill, taking care of him, the insistence that he pay for everything…sure, he knew that Brian cared deeply for him – well, ok, Brian loved him, even though he didn't know it himself - but Justin was certain that some part of it also stemmed from the feeling of responsibility and guilt that Brian had, no matter how many times he assured Brian otherwise.

Justin must have told Brian a thousand times that if not for the fire, he'd probably have been hurt in some other manner or form, and what was important was that he managed to get away, and that the fire effectively got rid of Ethan and Joshua for good. But try and get Brian to accept his logic. It was probably easier to turn Emmett straight.

Justin was just relieved for now that they seemed to be making progress and finally moving forward from it, and he tried to pay attention to Jennifer, who was talking to him.

"- but still. We should be paying for your education, not him. But your father…anyway, never mind. You're my son, and I love you, and I couldn't be prouder of you and who you've become. I just want to do what I can, so stop arguing with me."

"I love you too, mom." Justin hugged her, and with his back to the door, he didn't hear or see it open quietly.

"They're getting all mushy." Molly stated, and Justin turned around to find Brian.

Brian was dressed in a suit – definitely _not _the one he left to work in – all black and he had a white silk scarf around his neck. Only the fact that both his mother and sister were in the room kept Justin from pouncing on the man. Brian looked _smoking. _

"Hey Molly. Mrs. Taylor. I didn't know you'd be dropping by."

"Mom wanted to –"

Jennifer quickly cut off whatever Molly was about to say, and judging from the little he heard, Justin was sure that had his sister been allowed to continue, his mother would have been extremely embarrassed. _He_ would have been embarrassed as well.

"Brian, good evening. You're looking…good. I was in the neighbourhood, so I thought I'd drop in and say hello to Justin. We were just on our way out."

"Sweetheart, you…have fun at your…shoot, ok? Molly, come on, say good bye to Justin, we have to leave now…no no no, don't hug him, you'll ruin his tux! Molly…just, never mind, you'll see him on Monday."

Justin watched in amusement as his mother herded Molly out, bidding a hasty good night to Brian.

"You look hot. Is there a reason you're all dressed up?" Justin snaked his arms around Brian, kissing him deeply.

Brian was the one who eventually managed to tear himself away."Not too bad yourself, Sunshine. Now come on, I don't want you getting all messed up for the shoot. And I certainly don't want you getting late."

Justin sighed. "I suppose I'll have to wait till we get back home then…Emmett just left, by the way. And Daphne says you owe her."

Brian rolled his eyes. "I'll just bet. I heard you went to Lindsay's today; did anything else interesting?"

"Lindsay wanted me to babysit; said she had some errands…nothing else, really. Just lazed about, mostly."

"You're feeling ok, right? Tired? Does –"

Justin cut him off with another kiss.

"Brian, I'm _fine. _I've been fine for a while now. Really."

"You had some help in that department, if I recall correctly…have you given any more thought to Emily's offer?"

"Yeah…I'm still not sure if I should say ok, or just forget about it…what do you think I should?"

"I think that it's your decision, and you should do whatever you feel most comfortable with. I'm not going to tell you what to do Justin."

Justin glanced at Brian tentatively, and decided to press on with his next question.

"Bri, if I accept her offer and learn all this stuff…am I supposed to teach it to Gus when he's older? When he's sixteen?"

"You have any other children you want to be teaching instead?" Brian's tone was casual. _Too _casual. Justin grinned.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Gus isn't even six, let alone sixteen. How about we cross that bridge when we come to it? Now can we please leave?"

"Right…how long is this shoot, anyway? And _why_ are you all dressed up?"

"Client meeting. I'm dropping you first, and then heading for dinner."

He tried to mask his disappointment, and if Brian noticed anything, he didn't comment on it.

"Let's go…" Brian grinned at Justin. "Do I have to set the alarm, or will Mary Poppins be handling these minor details?"

Justin punched Brian lightly on his arms. "How many times do I have to tell you – I am _not _Mary fucking Poppins. Can you at least find someone a little more hip?"

"Sure. Sabrina the Teenage Witch?"

"And the same gender!"

Brian laughed, walking out of loft, and Justin followed, smiling and shaking his head at the same time.

It wouldn't hurt to be a teenage witch now and then, he thought, as the alarm set itself.

* * *

"The Marriott? Wow…this must be some fancy-ass shoot…Brian?"

"Hmmm? Just wait here a minute, ok? _Don't _go anywhere."

Justin rolled his eyes as he watched Brian walk up to the information desk. He couldn't see Brian's face, but the lady at desk was fawning. You should be so lucky, he thought, smiling to himself. Brian was back in less than two minutes.

"Why don't we get something to drink at the bar before I drop you?"

"Sure…won't I get late though?"

"Nah, we're early…I just checked. The…photographer's still setting up."

They walked to the bar, where the two of them enjoyed a round of drinks, before Brian phone started to ring.

"Hello…yeah…I'm at the bar…you're all ready?...yeah…ok…remember what I told you."

Justin looked at Brian curiously. "Who was that?"

"Cynthia. All is ready, it seems. C'mon, let's go."

"Cynthia's here? She comes for shoots?"

Brian sighed. "You really are one for questions, aren't you? Now remember Sunshine, smile for the camera ok?"

They were soon outside double doors that led to one of the halls (?), and Justin was surprised to hear music inside. He looked at Brian questioningly, but the taller man ignored him as he opened the door and, holding Justin's hand, led him inside.

"What the…"

Justin stood motionless at the entrance, staring at the room. Streamers, balloons , little twinkling lights…the room was decorated as if it were a prom…_his _prom, had he ever attended it. He remembered photographs from Daphne's evening at the prom looking exactly like this.

There was a dance floor, where Emmett was shimmying to the music. Daphne was there as well, dancing with Matt, her current boyfriend, dressed in a peach taffeta dress. Ted, in a tux himself, was doing the honours with Debbie, who glittered almost as brightly as the décor.

Lindsay (she had dressed in a violet dress; Justin remembered the conversation from Vic's birthday dinner) was speaking to Ben and Michael. Both men were dressed for the occasion.

He saw Melanie walking towards them, a drink in hand, and she winked at him as Justin caught her eye. He also registered Vic talking to Rodney, a man he had started dating recently, near the bar.

"Brian…I…"

"You're starting college next month. And no one should start college without attending their prom. A rite of passage, isn't that what they call it? Not exactly the biggest crowd, but…"

Try as he might, Justin couldn't stop the tears from springing to his eyes. Jennifer had known. Of course. That's why she had turned up at the loft, camera all ready. He squeezed Brian's hand.

"Thank you. Brian…this is…this is…perfect. The perfect prom…I…thank you."

"Don't thank me…I had very little to do with it…I just brought you here on time. All this," Brian gestured to the decorations, "is Daphne, Lindsay and Ben's handiwork. Blame them."

"I'm sure you had very little to do with it, except coming up with the idea." Justin leaned into Brian, kissing him.

"Cut it out Blondie, don't you get enough at home?"

Justin smiled, as he pulled away to look at Hunter.

"Speaking of home, how's life with the good professor and his wife?"

Hunter scowled at Brian. "They're making me study, study and study. Ugh."

Justin laughed. Michael and Hunter had both moved in with Ben, and Hunter was supposed to sit for the SATs, which he had never completed. After that, it would probably be college for him as well.

"Where's your date?" he asked.

"I'm thinking that you two might help get rid of that Matt dude…Daphne's kinda hot."

"Here's a heads up then; punch is going to get spiked later on, so you might want to make your move then."

"Brian!" Justin giggled, and he was relieved that the tears had disappeared. He was going to enjoy his prom dammit, not get all teary-eyed.

"You wouldn't!" Hunter was grinning.

"What? This is better than all the proms everyone in this room has ever attended. We're giving them a one they'll never want to forget. Now, Hunter, if you'll excuse us… "

Brian had shrugged out of his jacket, which he gave Hunter as he led Justin onto the middle of the dance floor, as the opening refrain from Ben E. King's _Save the Last Dance for Me _started playing.

Justin beamed, as Brian twirled his scarf around Justin's neck, swaying to the music.

"This is the best night of my life."

"Even if it's ridiculously romantic."

_You can dance-every dance with the guy_

_Who gives you the eye, let him hold you tight_

_You can smile-every smile for the man_

_Who held your hand 'neath the candle light_

_But don't forget who's takin' you home_

_And in whose arms you're gonna be_

_So darlin' save the last dance for me_

_Oh I know that the music's fine_

_Like sparklin' wine, go and have your fun_

_Laugh and sing, but while we're apart_

_Don't give your heart to anyone_

_But don't forget who's takin' you home_

_And in whose arms you're gonna be_

_So darlin' save the last dance for me_

_Baby don't you know I love you so_

_Can't you feel it when we touch_

_I will never never let you go_

_I love you oh so much_

_You can dance, go and carry on_

_Till the night is gone_

_And it's time to go_

_If he asks if you're all alone_

_Can he take you home, you must tell him no_

_'Cause don't forget who's taking you home_

_And in whose arms you're gonna be_

_So darling, save the last dance for me_

_'Cause don't forget who's taking you home_

_And in whose arms you're gonna be_

_So darling, save the last dance for me_

_Save the last dance for me_

_Save the last dance for me..._

It really _was _the best night of his life.

* * *

**A/N:**

At long last. It's finally over!

A humongous thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed this story, and for those who put it on their favourite and/or alert list as well as everyone who sent PMs with all your theories of what might be going on.

Thank you, also, for somehow making it to the end of this crazy fic. :D

Love you all!

Justin would like to take this opportunity to specially thank **Xrifree, Albiku and Reiselust161. **If not for all of your requests, he's pretty sure that he'd have ended up dead.

And last but certainly not the least. Thanks are definitely not enough for **Xrifree**, who helped make sense of this story, encouraged me to actually write it, reviewed it, betaed it, answered my ten thousand ridiculous questions and helped unravel the plot. You rock!

I hope the ending is to your satisfaction ;)


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